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This is it, folks. My final rockcrit column-thing for the Ann Arbor Paper. I will be relocating to Portland at the beginning of September, so no more Get Bent. For you froshlings and first-year grads reading the Paper for the first time, welcome to the Greater YpsiArbor Metroplex. Enjoy it while you’re here. For everybody else, I’d like to thank you for spending 120 seconds reading whatever last-minute words I’ve dashed out a day or two after my deadline. Thanks for reading also goes to local bands “surprised” that I didn’t suck, to Nick at the Pig to Leighton at the Elbow Room, to even esteemed colleagues at other pubs. Anyway, for the rest of you, hang on to what you have, because it’s lost too easily. Ann Arbor is a pretty transient place, with most people moving away once they turn 22 and graduate. It’s hard to maintain any sort of scene with that much turnover. As it stands, we have about two main venues for decent local and touring bands. One in Ann Arbor, and one in Ypsi. Most of the house venues are gone, so it’s up to the rest of you to start your own. It’s easier than you’d think. For those that can afford the luxury of digital cable, VH1 Classic now has a show called The Alternative. Essentially their version of 120 Minutes, a standard segment will feature Husker Du, Jesus and the Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and the Damned. They have 15 years of vids to draw from and the benefit of hindsight. It’ll be recalling good memories for some of you, and completely eye-opening for the rest like me who never saw any of these the first time around. Also, Volkswagen is now using a Richard Buckner song in their ads. One can only hope that it draws the same attention to him that it did to Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon.” Just think, in a couple of years, they’ll probably be playing Sufjan Stevens. Since the school year has started, the clubs are starting to get active again. At the Blind Pig, the metalloid ladies of Broadzilla headline a massive show featuring the now-mod-powered Rants, the Avatars, the Elevations, and Detroit’s own Esquire on Thursday the 9th. The following Saturday has the high-fashion dance party the Bang! on the 11th. Tuesday the 14th features the intense multiguitar/organ layering of The Book Was Better opening for Local H and Dropjaw. Saturday Looks Good to Me holds a record release party for their twee R&B on the 17th, with the Sunshine Fix opening. On that Saturday, Dykehouse opens for the Electric Six. Dykehouse’s set should be fun. Brooklyn duo The Fiery Furnaces brings their Beefheartian-anglo-indie carnival to town on the 21st with White Magic tagging along for fun. Yo La Tengo bring their “Tour of Swing States to Try and Help John Kerry Get Elected” to Tree Town on the 27th. The format of their show is “still being worked on,” so hopefully they’re have something special by then. Finally, the Muffs have reactivated with their first album in more than five years and are promoting it locally with Visqueen on the 28th. In Ypsi, the Elbow Room starts things off with the drunken rock of the Elbow Room’s own KK Dirty Money y Las Drooogas, alongside their alter-egos Sin Embargo, opening for stompin’ one-man Jawbone, with other Detroit nutzoids The Lanternjack. See Kyle (shortest of the now only two Elbow Room sound guys, since I’m leaving) rock it out on stage as KK Dirty Money, with the lovely Nevada Parsons hammering away on skins and keeping everything together. The next week, on the 9th, the Mother’s Anger is here alla way from Israel with Hillbilly Nightmare and Red Teeth. Mother’s Anger will be putting out a record on Dionysus Record, produced by the MC5’s Michael Davis. The Major Event
of the Month will be Ypsifest II, running from the 10th to the 12th.
Easy Action is on top of everything along with at least two dozen
other bands for the three days, including Spit for Athena, Lisboa,
McQueen (reformed?), The Book was Better, Ettison Clio, Glori5,
Holy Fire, and Chicago hipsters Bang! Bang!. Email
Jeremy Salmon at getbent
@ annarborpaper.com for any reason whatsoever.
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