RTP-area local music and culture

["5er (martin)" <mdhall005 AT yahoo.com>]

so, ross already mentioned how the Duke Coffeehouse
seems to be on a bit of thin ice of late.  seems the
administration feels that the space might be a bit
under utilized, and are considering taking over from
the folks who are currently in charge.  who knows if
this might mean major changes or not?  who knows if
the changes would be for the better?  not i, for sure.
but my gut tells me that the administration at Duke
might not look at the place as a prime performance
space, so it has me worried a little bit.

i would not be exaggerating to say that some of the
most amazing shows i have seen in my almost 20
(yikes!) years of seeing shows in the triangle have
been hosted at the coffeehouse.  it would also not be
an exaggeration to say that most of these shows took
place at least 9 or 10 years ago.  but still.  

over the next two weeks WXDU (who, in the interest of
full disclosure or some shit like that, i am
affiliated with in that i play records over the air
once every other week) is sponsoring shows at the
Coffeehouse in an effort to help the folks that run
the place show that it is still a viable entity for
rock shows and other such events.  

so, tonight, i hauled my lazy ass over to durham
instead of watching Swordfish on TNT or Cirque De
Soleil on Bravo (i lead a very exciting life).  it was
probably the first time in about a year that i had
been to the Coffeehouse, and one of only a handful in
the last several years.  but the minute i walked in
the place some of those old memories rushed back. and
it was good.  the space is largely the same.  a few
more couches, and some fancy light rigging suspended
from the ceiling...i can only assume it is used for
dance parties or something since it was not in
operation on this evening.

got there just before Ghost of Rock went on, and
managed to run into several people i had not seen in a
while and the good vibes set in right away.

GOR rocked mightily, and seeing as how (as ross put
it) they do sound a lot like Pipe, i was bobbing my
head and tapping my foot (almost dancing - gasp!) a
few bars into the first song.  it was a joyful noise
that tapped into the inner punk kid that i rarely run
across these days.  the band was raw and mighty, and
ron liberti proved once again why, in my humble
opinion, he is one of the best front men in the area.
funny, engaging with vox that snarl and warble on the 
sunnier side of rage.  he was simply born to do this.
to perform.  i'll admit that part of the appeal, for
me at least, is probably tinged with nostalgia.  but
its only a part, the rest is just a love of folks who
are committed to rock without apology or indie-lectual
posing.

after a brief break, Cantwell Gomez and Jordan took
the stage.  Dave jordan boldly sporting a WXYC t-shirt
in "hostile" territory, Cantwell balancing things out
with an XDU t-shirt and pink bunny ears, and Anne
Gomez a vision in pink.  the trio commenced to rip
mercilessly through a set of art-punk noise and scronk
that was absolutely messmerizing.  watching ann play
bass, all over the frets and fingers dancing around
like an epiletic on prom night, is nothing short of
mesmerizing.  Cantwell pounds and skips across the
drum kit with a ferocity that is as stunning as it is
scary at times. the guy drums with not just his entire
body, but his entire soul.  i always fear that he is
just gonna pass out from the sheer force of exertion.
jordan is the least animated of the two, calmly
standing to the side of the stage, pulling deceptive
urgent and caterwauling tones from his guitar. 
rhythms
and noise and melody crash into and around each other
in a fight to the death.  it might not be particularly
"danceable" - tell that to the fellow near me who
seemd to be doing some sort of interpretive jazz
come-morticia adams dance number - 
but it undeniably moves you.  gets you from the gut
out. absolutely stunning muscianship, engaging without
being condescending.  or something.

the room sounded great.  as it usually does, with the
exception of the vocals being a bit buried in the mix,
but that would just be nitpicking.  its a room full of
memories.  a room full of limitless possibilities as
well. one can only hope that these recent threats of 
the-end-of-the-coffeehouse as we know it will be the
impetus for a resurgence in the venue's use and
viability.  on this night, to paraphrase dave
jordan...
it sounded like a rock club, and smelled like a rock
club, and felt like a rock club.  one of the best in
the area in fact.

something tells me i'll be there next weekend as well.

- 5er

* could someone who went to the ugly americans reunion
on thursday fill those of us less fortunate in on what
we did or didn't miss? 










=====
"A boy wants a car from his dad.
 Dad says, first you got to cut that hair.
 Boys says, hey dad Jesus had long hair.
 Dad says, That's right son, and Jesus walked everywhere."
- David Berman/The Silver Jews

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