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The Airborne Concert Event
Last night, to my surprise, as I was doomscrolling social media, I saw that the cultish rock group L.A. Witch were performing in my city.
This band is one that I was only familiar with by name, who I read about on bandsintown, when I was planning to visit Los Angeles. Something about them piqued my interest. It was clear to me then that it was a group worth paying a visit, due to the data presented on the concert calendar app. I remember now that I streamed them and liked what I was hearing. Sometimes it is not as much of a phenomenon as we like to say it is.
Musician Banter
Sade Sanchez (guitar/vox) stated that she was suffering from jet lag. The band played a lethargic garage jangle with a harmonious surf rock tinge. The music was sonorous to my ear, the kind of band that knows how to make it sound like a finely-rehearsed and presented at its best version of their songs. The kids were going bananas. As I was walking out, they sang “Goodbye, Godspeed,” into the mic, which left me feeling aware and respected.
I Felt Alone in the Crowd, Sometimes Bored, Powerful,
I spoke to someone who told me they had lived in Nashville for thirteen years, who reminded me of the bike punks I used to hang out with there, or one of the short-haired females I knew from the punk scene. It was a funny conversation, because I left out the fact that I was from Nashville and made cracks about the city which got that person to tell me I had offended them. She said Nashville has a punk scene the same as Memphis. Later, I admitted to being from there and apologized for offender them. I enjoyed hearing about somewhere I know well from someone who had to describe it to a different type of person than I am. However, the conversation never did not take back off after that joke I told about them driving around in a pickup truck with a dead deer mounted on the hood. lol
Fun Conversations at the Concert
The coolest person I talked to at the concert was this sexy black-clad honey with bangs. She was cool and friendly. I asked her what L.A. Witch sounds like, and she told me they are drone, sound a little sludge-y. I liked talking to her, found that she was the coolest new friend I made there. She had a really good energy, seemed really excited to be there.
I also spoke to a group of three, two of whom seemed bewildered that I would hold a conversation with them. They were some cool people, though. They knew who the Black Lips were, which I brought up as I was trying to recruit someone to go to the concert with me. At this point, I believe I ought to just sell the tickets and skip that, but I also feel selfish and bored to know that I might be sitting home alone that night, when it is going to be Thanksgiving, as well.
I should have asked for her phone number, the one who stood out as most interesting, who wore a black T-shirt with red letters on it and black bottoms. Still, I felt discouraged by the energy of that table, as I was giving them all my attention, and them little back.
Opening Bands
There were four bands on the bill: Las Hijas de la Muerte, Ben Katzman’s Degreaser, Violet Silhouette, and L.A. Witch. The show started at 8:00, an hour later than advertised.
Ben Katzman’s Degreaser: Miami Rockers
Ben Katzman’s Degreaser performed our hometown’s beloved inspirational show, of high energy, speed metal, hair metal, comedy that is known and love from here to Tallahassee. They sounded tight, not a note missed.
Violent Silhouette: A Discovery
Violent Silhouette brought novelty and art nouveau to the stage by breaking down the cliched 4-5 person rock group to a two piece. One on synths and one on guitar. Their performance was explosive. I was scared, the napalmed energy of the guitarist threatening to smash his guitar and crash into a a jumble of splintered wood and wild screaming split angular wires.