The Courtesans - SoSoSo -- DC9 - July 6 2011

SoSoSo - A local trio gets things going tonight. Good energy is apparent quickly enough and the music is simple enough rock music that does not lock into a specific space or time. I liked the second cut with a really nice grind-it-out rhythm going on. The drummer and guitarist switch places for a bit and I am amazed how the drummer can play about half a song with his guitar strap having slipped off. Eventually he had to take a break and fix it when he had to do more complex moves on the fretboard, but nice poise and strength until then. This was a decent enough set. They are breaking in their fourth bass player and that seemed to work out ok. Enjoyable enough for an opener and continued work on sharpening up the songwriting could pay dividends. All in all, I will walk into the obvious trap (while cryptically extricating myself) and say this set was more so-so than Zoso.

The Courtesans - Another local trio where I have consistently been left with a good impression following the few times I have seen them. The guitarist is also in the Blackberry Belles and offers enough distinction to clearly identify two separate bands. Of course, it helps that in addition to a drummer in each band, the third member offers radically different sounds in the keyboards of the Belles and the bass playing here. The bass player also offers several lead and backing vocals here. All three guys are solid musicians, play well together and sing well together. The music is straightforward pop/rock with a leaning toward a modern feel. The key is that the songs are catchy, while the playing has just enough of a groove to it where you can feel that they are a step above what you may expect from a local band. This is a good band well worth checking out. The audience was a bit low tonight as it was a Wednesday, but I still hope for the days where local bands draw a bit more than what seems to be happening in these lean times.

In continuing my story from yesterday's post... I am reading Bob Mould's autobiography right now. I could not help but skim forward to a couple of sections as I spent a lot of time with him in the good old days. I was surprised that he mentioned writing for a zine I put together that had hardcore and punk musicians writing about pro wrestling. Hardcore Wrestling only had one issue, but it was fun and even though it was not quite as extensive as Bob writes, it did have its fans (as you can see by clicking on the link). It was my second zine and typed out in hotel rooms on a fellow auditor's Commodore 64 with a word processing program he got from a magazine and set up by typing in the machine language. Ah, the good old days. Still, that was luxury compared with my college zine (The Miami Carcass) where I used typewriters, mimeograph machines, and whatever I could.