Finals Got You Down?

Not after you take a gander at this slice of awesome.



Didn't do the trick? Then you may have bigger troubles. Good luck to all who've got essays and finals due, and therefore lots and lots of problems.

Not a Review.

(I apologize in advance for overtly dour nature of this post. It just happens sometimes. I feel a need to post something and I just happen to be in an off mood. To be fair, I did just finish watching Five Easy Pieces, so there's that.)

For a lot of people, Wednesday's the most difficult day to get through. Yet for me, as relatively hectic and swamped as I have found this semester, Wednesday's the eye of the storm for me. Yes, I have four hours of work, but at this point work is a respite from academics. Sometimes I question why I'm even bothering sticking around to get a master's. Will I even use the degree? I guess it's because I typically have a hard time committing to anything without first giving it tons and tons of neurotic thought which even probably won't deposit me off at some solid conclusion. I've gotten to the point where in many people's judging eyes it's entirely not OK that I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with my life. I have to deflect the questions or name some random occupation that I likely have very little interest in. I mean, it's not like I don't try to settle on something. It just doesn't happen. Even if people are just trying to make small talk (and trust me, it happens all the time, whether at work or with the person behind me in checkout at the supermarket), I probably get overly defensive about it.

So, I'm putting in the extra work so I can stick around college one more year. Buy myself some more time, hold off on leaving what's left of my academic island for good. Every year the bubble gets smaller and I feel like more and more of an outsider even though I'm still very much here. Living off campus has very much changed the dynamic of my experience at school, and in particular working on campus during the summer when there's hardly any students around, when it's just the old buildings and dust and cobwebs, out with the old and in with the new, get the repairs done so the rooms are ready for the wide-eyed freshmen when they arrive the last week of August. Watch the days shorten further and further still, the leaves drop, the air chill. All the changes of the seasons aren't going to make the illusion of scholastic grandeur quite so real to me ever again. The bloom is off the rose and it isn't growing back. And yet I still find this a feasible alternative for the time being. It's like standing on a sinking ship and refusing to get on a little lifeboat because the seas are rough and you might capsize, but who knows, that ocean liner is sinking so slow maybe help will arrive before I'm submerged, right? And if help doesn't show up, when that boat's about to sink I'll grab onto a piece of driftwood. That's just how I've always gotten by.

I guess college is just the Wednesday in my life, then. There's been a lot of work leading up to and through it, and once I leave it, there's a lot more work to do before the weekend gets around.

The Weakerthans - Wellington's Wednesdays (From Fallow)
Willy Mason - Oxygen (From Where the Humans Eat)

Buy 'em up:
Cinder Block
Team Love

The Weakerthans at Paradise Rock Club, 9/16/09

Credit: http://bradkellyfilms.posterous.com

I got four hours of sleep the night before. This show kept me awake like no quantity of caffeine could dream of doing...

With a huge assist from my friend Adam who made Escape From Worcester possible with his environmentally savvy motor carriage, and with the small but ever endearing Dana in tow, we set off from THE CLARK: HARBINGER OF DISGUST AND GENTRIFICATION as the sun set on a cool September day. Despite a temperamental iPod radio adapter, much tuneage was consumed, largely of the ALK3 variety, at which time I showed my lack of knowledge of their full catalogue, hanging my head in shame and pretending to nod off. As it turns out the venue was located just about smack dab in the middle of the BU campus. Parking was not readily apparent, but after a few minutes of search it was procured, although our fair driver would later find the sneakiness of the parking attendant somewhat off-putting. We found our way in to the club, and as I stood next to the the bar for a moment, as Adam sauntered in he was trailed by who other than John K. Samson. After the group was reassembled we picked up our tickets from will call (because what's the fun in saving a piece of printer paper with a barcode on it?). I flirted with the idea of getting one of the excellent shirts from the merch tayblay but quickly realized that I'd be far too broke to get food after the show if I did so, that however snazzily attired I might be, that would not satisfy my stomach. I was taken aback at how small the place was. Any spot on the floor was a good spot. However, being the only one of the group that could be classified as vertically gifted, we moved along to an open balcony spot that had a fantastic view and was not too far away from the stage.

The first opener was Tomte, a German band on their first American tour. The lyrics were all-German (with the exception of a brief foray into The Killers' "Human" that was all in good fun), and the stage banter was of a delightful, wide-eyed, aw-shucks-we're-so-happy-to-be-in-the-land-of-the-free variety. As Dana pointed out to me, there was one guy in the audience with a sweaty shaved head who was REALLY into it, while everyone surrounding him could simply not touch his enthusiasm. Funny stuff. I didn't really get into the music too much, but there was nothing blatantly wrong with it. It just may have helped if I had taken Intro to German last year instead of Intermediate French (which thusfar has only enhanced my understanding of a couple Arcade Fire songs and of course The Weakerthans' "Our Retired Explorer...").

The second opener was the fairly strange and rather good Rock Plaza Central. Their lead singer both looked and sounded like a Keebler Elf, with a nasally voice that definitely could do battle with John Darnielle's in a whine-off. They had a banjo and mandolin which were employed several times each, and much of their lyrical content involved robotic steel horses who think they're people (or so I thought the lead singer said). There was some awkward forays into politicized stage banter that didn't really go anywhere or extract a positive reaction from the audience. These missteps aside, the band was enjoyable.

The Weakerthans rounded out the all-foreign bill. Adam was so dedicated as to figure out the setlist, which I have re-posted below:

Edit this setlist | More The Weakerthans setlists

John poked fun at himself over the solo to "Utilities" which he said was the only solo he's ever written, and he'll never have to write another because this one was so perfect, that it has changed forever how people play guitar. Soon after, he pulled a member out of the audience who had beseeched him for an opportunity to top that solo, and while perhaps not a spectacular solo ensued, the kid was undeniably good at playing the instrument. John moved to the floor to watch the performance. Definitely a highlight.

The set, as you may have gleaned from the setlist above, was a nice blend of older and newer songs, expertly performed. They might not have put on the loudest or most energetic show, but they really looked like they were having a good time up there and not just phoning it in. The songs are strong enough on their own that the delivery didn't need to be overwhelming, but I would say watching this show put to rest for me criticisms I've read of the band being too lackadaisical on stage. If they're ever in the area again, I'm totally going to another show. Plus I liked still having 80-90% hearing the next day, even without earplugs.
9.75 (that's right Pitchfork, I go to the hundredths place!)

As a side note, I just found out that John will be releasing a series of seven-inches over the next 18 months. Very exciting stuff. I do love me some offbeat hyper-literate folk-punk-rock.