Archers Of Loaf @ The Troubadour (Los Angeles)

Well that was a really long drive. Seriously, that's the farthest I have ever gone for the singular purpose of seeing a band play. It was a learning experience though; I learned how to get the right air pressure in tires and how to avoid the crazy drivers on I-5. I also learned that the central valley has more Christian rock stations than people, and that the tape player in my car murders tapes. It was fun though, even though it rained most of the way down and my car was shaking like a mofo for some reason most of the way. We actually ended up getting to LA like four hours before we expected (we sorely overestimated the time it takes to get there), so I called up my old roommate Max who lives in LA. We went to a record store (I got New Day Rising on vinyl), then we went to this Jewish deli and got sandwiches, then we went and hung out at the La Brea tar pits. It was pretty cool.

So me and Katherine are really tired at this point, but we can't go and rest in the hostel (which was pretty nice but also sort of expensive for a hostel). We had to go quickly, get changed, and go to the show. The Troubadour was a short drive away, but we had to spend a while looking for parking. All the parking we found was either no parking at night after a certain time, or it was permit parking only. Speaking of which, its really weird how in LA the residential areas just sort of blend in to the city. Its like a huge suburb. Anyway, we eventually found parking five or so blocks away from the venue and set on our jolly way.

After we got in to the venue, we got in line to buy merch. There was nobody selling any merch at the time, but we really had nothing better to do. We ended up talking to this guy in line for a while. His band is possibly playing the Fest this year, which I'm going to (oh yes), so maybe we'll see him there. When the merch lady finally showed up, I got a t-shirt and a poster and Katherine got a different t-shirt and poster. So the first band, Globes, plays. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so tired and impatient, but at the time it seemed like they were playing forever. Finally they finished and after a quick(ish) set up AOL came out to play.

Don't get me wrong- I love Archers of Loaf. I really do. But I really only know Vee Vee and Icky Mettle and a little bit of All The Nation's Airports. So when they spent the first 45 minutes of their set playing stuff off of more recent albums (the only one they played that I recognized was Harnessed in Slums), I can't deny I was a little disappointed. After all, I was going to have spent upwards of 12 hours of driving time in two days specifically to see them. So I was very relieved when they started playing Plumb Line and proceeded to end out their set (minus the two encores) with mostly Icky Mettle songs. That's when things really started to get crazy. There was a guy on the floor praying; at first I thought he had passed out, then I thought he was really Christian. Turns out he just really likes Archers of Loaf. Their encores were mostly Vee Vee and Airports stuff too, so I was still pretty pumped (as was everybody else). Even the mid-30's/early-40's aging hipsters were getting into it.

So yeah, all in all it was a great trip, albeit a short one. The next day we got brunch on Santa Monica Boulevard and drove all the way home with only one short stop for gas. I'm not going to lie, my back got very sweaty from sitting so long. But if a sweaty back is the price I pay for seeing a band that I have wanted to see for years but never thought I could, then I would have gone even if I had two backs. Amen to that.

Aye Nako @ SUNY Purchase

Wow, I thought this blog was dead. Guess not. Okay then. Hey nobody (and Katherine)! Wow, I have been to hell and back (and England and back) in the last year and a half. Obviously I saw lots and lots of shows, so I can't realistically remember them all. What were some memorable ones, you ask? Well, there was the time we went and saw Lemuria and Hard Girls play together in Santa Cruz AND San Francisco last summer; on consecutive days, too. That was cool because I was way into Hard Girls at the time, especially the song Quinceneara. Now, I've been getting more into Lemuria recently; that's okay though, since I saw them at the Don Giovanni Records showcase last weekend (Interesting side note: last time I saw them [in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill] I requested Bee Spit, and they played it this time. My doing?). We have also seen Algernon Cadwallader play several times in the last 15 months (once in the Bay Area even, over last Winter Break). They are now the band I have seen the most live. Or is it Lemuria? I'm not too sure...

Alright, enough incoherent ramblings. To the point! Our most recent show was Aye Nako at SUNY Purchase. Now, apparently, this band has been around for a couple years. However, I (and from what I can tell, a lot of people) didn't take any notice until recently, when they were joined by drummer Angie. Angie is the former guitarist/vocalist from the now defunct but perennially awesome Little Lungs. Little Lungs played at the first show I saw in New York way back in 2008, and I have been following them since then. As bummed as I am that they are no longer together, Aye Nako is equally rad, if not more so. I have been listeneing to the new Aye Nako demo since it came out last month, and am so into it it hurts.

So me and Katherine are plum shitfaced on cider and wine and London Pride by the time we get to the venue/the Stood/whatever. Drunk motherfucker that I am, I go over to Angie and ask her about the show, referring to her by her first name. She didn't say anything about me knowing her name, but it was definitely kind of awkward. Finally, after the first band finished (some twinkly band from Connecticut), it was time for them to play, so me and Katherine went into the room where the bands played. Turns out, it was just us, like two other people, and Aye Nako. So we just kinda stood there, drunkenly talking about how much we liked their band while they were setting up right in front of us. Maybe I should start looking up to more famous musicians; this would never happen at a Sting concert.

Anyway, they played their set and it was awesome. About ten more people came in when they started playing, so it wasn't as awkward as it could have been. We still were way more into it than anyone else though. After the show, we actually had a conversation with Angie. We told her how much we liked Little Lungs, and she gave us free vinyl and shirts. She was going to give us free Aye Nako tapes too, but I insisted on paying. I look at it this way- if they can make a living off of music instead of having real jobs, they have more time to write music I enjoy. Also, I've downloaded a lot of their stuff for free, so I felt kind of guilty. We told her our names, and we talked about the other times we had seen her bands. Aye Nako is playing a buttload of shows in and around New York in the next few months, so I'm sure we'll have a chance to see if she remembers us.