Does it seem weird to consult the bit/byte, seemingly cold, hard world of computers to delve into the soulful world of music? Yes, if you are too old to qualify for the
Real World
cast or harbor related luddite quirks.
But those of us who have entered the new age-be it gladly clutching multi-colored iPods or be it kicking and screaming as we shed our vinyl along the way-must sing the praises of
, a networking/friendship/dating Web site that has, for some reason or other, come in particular handy this week for getting a feel for the bands hitting Warehouse 21. Maybe it's a youth thing.
Case in point: If we didn't have myspace, the list for Friday and Saturday nights' shows might as well be a jumble of hieroglyphics. But a perusal of each group's myspace profile allows for a helpful survey. All you have to do is log on to the group site and mp3s immediately start streaming-it's that easy.
serves up four re-vamped HW classics, reminders of just how tight this band has become, just how much their harmonies, witty melodies and smart lyrics grow more and more infectious with each listen. Meantime, "Checkers," the first song streaming on
is a hot little new wave tune: choppy guitars, two-note keyboard fills and distant vocals, the melody not particularly interested in grabbing you, all the more charming for its disaffection. It's the best of the group's four available downloads.
For a preview of Saturday's show, check out Stowe's second available download, "Casual Breakdown." Recorded live, it's a bit fuzzed-out and over-driven, but god, does it take you back to the mid-'90s, a guitar-based, mid-tempo angry angster, like a band who would've opened for Sonic Youth. Of course, that would have been before myspace was ever invented, but therein lies the beauty-it's a grassroots meeting place, made of ones and twos.
The Hollis Wake, Clair de Lune, Knife the Hero, The Silent Q and Long Time Dead (all of whom have myspace sites) along with Faceless Sweet play at 6:30 pm, Friday, March 17. Jerk Toast, Stowe and Dorks at Camp play the next night (Jerk Toast doesn't belong to myspace) at 7 pm. Both shows are $5.
