Rock & Roll All Night

So, last night started off with me leaving the house at nearly 9p--a bit later than I'd wanted as it meant walking downtown in the dark, but I knew it was a Friday night and a lot of people would be out. I had one guy pull up besides me in a tasty sports car, asking if I was going to "the bars". Umm, which bars? No? I also had a rusty car full of drunken frat boys drive by and hollar something to the effect of "wooooo!", and later a very drunk woman tell me that I looked very nice tonight. But then, any of these events could easily have happened on any other day or night, so nothing special. I finally made it down to the bar the band was playing at around 9:40p... and no one was there.

I'm not sure when things started rolling, I think the first band went up around or just after 10p. They did their thing and totally surprised me; they'd changed their singer since last I saw them live and boy did he make a difference. They were playing the same music but this new guy brought a stability of sound that really connected all the songs. Then the housemate's band went up, and I heard a few songs I hadn't heard all the way through yet. Overall their set was good, but the woman controlling the PA was doing a shitty-ass job and the equipment was cutting out on top of that. So being the tempermental angst-ridden youth that he is, housemate totally let it all get to him and was super pissy by the end of their songs. I tried to tell him it was still good but sometimes there's no getting through to him. I went back inside to sit down and watch the third and final band, a group from further north with a very good rep, but that I hadn't seen yet. I was definitely not dissapointed.

The guitarist was amazing, with a very reserved stage presence but great talent. The drummer had a low-key style and didn't really stand out or overwhelm the songs (which I like). And the singer... oh, the singer. Great stage presence, amazing voice, and the most adorable face with really soft grey blue eyes. He is one of the few rock singers I've heard who can actually sing with a lot of melodic variation, then totally bring it and scream his head off. A voice that could make a girl's heart melt, for sure (not the screaming part, as screaming doesn't make me melt). They're music was perfect soft-core metal, and made me want to dance--not mosh, but actually dance. They're releasing a full-length cd this year and I'm eagerly awaiting it for myself.

Now after the show is where things got interesting. We all just milled around inside for a bit, trying to let the correct course of action to present itself. There was a lot of questions and confusion regarding transportation for the first band and housemate's band, as the same guy helped both bring equipment down. Most people were still drinking, and the band members were sociallizing with eachother and discussing band stuff. Now, if the housemate hadn't been there, I'd have been all over the other singer. As it was, that would've been rude and could've created conflict between the two bands, which I didn't want. I just wanted to get laid, but that wasn't in the cards for the evening. But, there is hope. Either there was something atrocious stuck in my teeth, or the singer kept looking at me while everyone was talking. He asked me if I'd be travelling north with the housemate this weekend, to their town, and that was about as much coversation as the two of us had. Unless you count eye contact--a lot of information can be relayed through eye contact. :) Perhaps next time they're in town, and they say they try to come down at least once a month, I can be better prepared for actual conversation.

Finally, all the talking was done, the last band starting their return trip north, and transportation for the rest of us was figured out. At this point it was about 2a, the show having been over since about 12a. We all piled into the cargo van filled with two bands' equipment (that's two drum sets, four guitars and four amps) and a bicycle. Now, this van only had three actual seats, and one of them was for the driver. Housemate called the third seat and I sat on his lap, so that was fairly comfortable. Immediately inside and seated, the grass showed up and started its way around the passengers. It was a bumpy ride because cargo vans weighted down with band equipment don't have great hydrolics. Somehow, drummer (from housemate's band) directed the driver to his apartments even though he was sitting in the far back and couldn't see where we were. Inside, bathroom breaks were taken and another bowl smoked, with a fairly amusing interlude focusing on a very different style lighter that everyone could work but the housemate. With less equipment and two less bodies we headed out again towards housemate's and my place, and I think we got home at about 3a.

Now, this is a very brief summary of the evening. I simply can't go into all the details about the interesting people that I met and all the strange conversations had. But I can say it's probably one of the more interesting nights I've had in the past few months. As frustrating as the housemate is, it is definitely fun to be involved with this group of metal rockers with such a carefree attitude. Next show is in about three weeks and I'm definitely looking forward to it.