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indie-snob>+!#
the quails @ the fireside (4.5.03)
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I must say that this was a show for the Aisler's Set, but my parents uncooly made me leave early because it was getting too late. Therefore, I consider the highlight of the show to be the Quails, so here it is. Tim Kinsella played first. Tim Kinsella is a member of the experimental rock groups Joan of Arc and also the Owls. In high school, he played with his brother in the emo phenomenon, Capnjazz. Tim's solo career is different. Using beautiful finger-picked guitar, he brought an atmosphere to stage that I haven't been a part of in a while. Everything was so intense, raw, bare and stripped down... absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure how many people have heard of Tim's brother Mike (who plays in the same bands) but also has his own solo career under the name Owen. Mike has several solo releases with a similar vibe. Anyway, Tim was just an amazing guitarist and even though his vocals were lackluster sometimes, I couldn't help but be moved by his songwriting. I'd say that he is a must-see should he ever roll by your favorite coffee house or bar. Quite honestly, though, I went for the Quails. When I saw them perform with Sleater-Kinney back in October, I fell in love. After all, how could you not fall in love with these guys and gals from San Fran dancing around stage in matching attire and singing and playing their brains out? The Quails have a unique blend of folk, punk and grungy sounds with a part riot grrrl, part queer attitude. All of this makes me love them. Not only that, but both Julianna and Jen are magnificent vocalists, and Seth is a wonderful bassist. I wore my Quails t-shirt to show my Quails pride and you could tell they were very happy I did so, as Jen smiled each time she looked down, which made me feel great. They played a really wonderful set, starting with a wonderful a capella piece about war, which I found strikingly beautiful. Otherwise, they played a lot of the good songs from Atmosphere, including "Riding the 5" and my absolute favorite Quails song, "Soon the Rest Will Fall." Seriously, should they ever even STOP BY IN YOUR TOWN, pay them a visit, tell they you love what they've done with their hair (not to Seth, he's bald) or you love dancing to their music. Hella followed. My girlfriend said: "Everytime I think of Hell from now on, I'll think of Hella playing forever." I tend to agree. At first I was amazed, Spencer played his guitar like a fiend, amazingly erractic but precise. It felt like the result of kids with ADD focusing all their attention on the guitar. His style was so unique, with hammer ons layered with hammer ons and harmonics and blah blah, it was fascinating. It was by the next song that I realized that that was cool for 3 minutes, but I had 27 more to go. Therefore, it was tedious, tiring and damaging to my ear drums, but an interesting performance. I guess I'd call their style experimental noise, without vocals and with a loooot of improvisational stuff (i'd guess, lord knows I could never remember all that stuff). Maybe catch a glimpse of them, but I don't recommend half an hour of it, although a lot of people seemed to be digging it... maybe if your drunk or high it would be awesome, but i just wouldn't know. Anyway, good show.... 2/3 anyway... and I'm guessing that the Aisler's Set was amazing. Go see them. |