Another fun Delarcos show, my third so far. I was on the fence about going to this one, being a Monday night, and still tired from a weekend of boat maintenance and not enough sleep, but knowing The Godz were playing pulled me off of the fence, and I mustered everything I had left and pulled it off.
Delarcos did not disappoint at all! I think my favorite is still Industry Night, but some of the others are gaining, esp. Tom’s River and That Girlfriend. I can’t explain exactly what I like about Delarcos (besides the lyrics!), but I can try and contrast it within the context of last night’s show to give some idea.
Delarcos lyrics, by the way, can be found at http://www.mindspring.com/~notionsunlimited/band/delarcos.html
Denizens of Washington did a good job at what they do. They give you a plate of easily-identifiable food in a predictable manner, and deliver it solidly, along with a lot of ex-wife jokes. I was really digging the tone of the bass. I don’t think they quite had enough volume to get the full feel of what they do, especially during the one song that highlighted the drummer’s vocals, and especially after the Delarcos.
In contrast, Delarcos give you some kind of weird food that kind of reminds you of something you had as a kid, in a weird wrapper. And then you remember you liked it. Even though it’s not the same thing it was back then, it’s still pretty fucking tasty, and you can’t explain exactly why. You just want to tell your friends they should try this, and maybe they can explain it better.
All metaphorically, of course — the bands weren’t really giving out food. Actually there seemed to be a lot of what looked like grilled cheese sandwiches and tater tots moving around the room, but I had already eaten. GREAT BEER SELECTION AT GALAXY HUT. I started with a Starr Hill double and finished with a Fair Winds.
Last up was The Godz. When I read about them prior to the show, I knew I was in for something unique, and that’s always what I’m looking for. Unique, and authentic. They’re a psych-garage-freak-whatever band from the 60s. How it happened that they were playing at a tiny dive bar, capacity 66, with Delarcos and Denizens, I’ll leave to the reader’s imagination. But I for one am grateful.
The vocalist started the show by saying, “I’m old, and it’s past my bedtime.” Guess he’s right, if he was doing this shit in the mid-late 60s. And he validated that by one of songs midway through, “Dead and Gone” (you can listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZuwWErcBKE), which he dedicated to everyone that’s passed away, and everyone that’s going to pass away, which is pretty much everyone.
He also made a couple of references to ex-wives, but I kind of got the feeling that his experiences with ex-wives were somehow different from those of the Denizens. I could explain, but then people might think I’m sensitive. He just seemed, maybe warmer, maybe more open.
The bass player — I love his energy. Ever seen that video of the drummer who’s called out for “playing a different show” than the rest of the band? The band is going through their routine, and he’s going nuts with energy and showmanship. In a good way, this bassist reminded me of that guy. He moved around a lot, played hard, made excellent faces, and fed energy back to the rest of the band, especially in the last jam. I remember thinking at one point, and this may sound like a completely disrespectful thought, and I’m not even sure where it came from, but “Man. I want to go to his funeral.” Can’t explain, but I swear it comes from a good place.
The trumpet player was great too, really added a lot of texture to the songs.
They ended the night with what seemed to be the most widely-known of their repertoire, “Radar Eyes,” (listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9PaX7m9NXw) from at least four decades ago, which gradually morphed into this great acid-tinged jam that really reminded me of some of the best Faust jams from that period.
If you ever get a chance to see The Godz live, DO IT. But make sure it’s THESE guys, not the Godz from Ohio. They’re a very different band.
And you’ll definitely get another chance to see Delarcos. In June, if not before. Follow them at https://www.facebook.com/HoursOfFun4everyone
As always, I hope my writeups don’t offend anyone in any way. I try to focus on what I enjoy, to share these positive experiences with friends, followers and random passers-by. And bands are always welcome to reuse any of my band photos. Normally I have a decent camera with me, last night I only had my phone, so I was a bit limited.
