Bare Jr.
Scout
Star City
@ Brownies
5/23/02
This show was kind of a bummer, as it marked the probable end of Star City. It’s an interesting transitional phase for the NYC alt-country scene. The Hangdogs have morphed into a great band with few of the original members that made it special and Star City has now gone "on hiatus". As a member of a band that enjoys that special brand of denial, I’ll believe Star City’s return when I see. Everyone except for frontman Jason Lewis plays in other bands. Hell, bassist Scott Yoder seems to play in every band. That doesn’t make Star City any less of a band, but it does dilute a band’s focus. Their farewell set had a melancholy feel to it, with Jason thanking the crowd and affirming that Star City was just taking a break between seemingly every song. Thank God we still have the Yayhoos. Here’s hoping they make it back.

I had Scout mixed up with Mascott and expected a totally different vibe when they set up, but their loud rock made a lot more sense opening for Bare Jr. They were ok and the singer was pretty engaging, but they didn’t really have anything that really reached out a grabbed me. Jawbreaker. They’ve done some recording with Kevin Salem and have been around for a couple records. People seemed to like them, I just wasn’t one of them, especially with Bare Jr. up next.

Bare Jr. are one of my favorite bands. They will rock you with a blend of old school rock and country that has a Pixies-esque crunch, but it’s their sense of humor that really makes them the great band they are. On stage, they are everything U2 wanted on their Zoo TV tour at a smidgen of the price and twice the impact. They are a motley crew, but the men of Bare Jr. will grab you by your shirt and swab the deck with you. Despite a dwindling room, they raged through most of the best songs of their first two records, tempering them with more acoustic tunes that will comprise Bobby Bare Jr.’s new Bloodshot record. Bobby Bare Jr. is definitely the Black Francis of this franchise. He’s got a gift for wordplay that’s going to leave a lot of today’s songwriters with sleepless nights. The addition of ex-Superdrag bassist Tom Pappas has made the band into even more of a rock juggernaut. Together with guitarist Mike Grimes, they are a force to be reckoned with. All they need is one of their songs to cross over and it’s the big time for Bare Jr.

Kevin Salem
Flashing Lights
@ Village Underground
5/25/02
Why Kevin Salem hasn’t been more successful, I’ll never know. Much like Marshall Crenshaw, he’s a guy who has consistently put our good records with great songs but never really caught on beyond the record geek masses. Kevin ups the ante and adds some pretty serious guitar pyrotechnics to the mix as well. He’s got a new record out on Future Farmer that’s about to be re-released. I’m not sure if this live show was the best representation of the record: it was their new keyboardist’s first night and dropping their second guitarist thins out the sound a bunch, especially when the house mix is pretty crappy. I bet the new record is great and I’m really looking forward to seeing them with a better mix.

The Flashing Lights came recommended, but bored me to tears. They sound like a second rate Superdrag that isn’t on par with their Southern twee-pop attitude. They’ve got a pretty decent following but very few of them were there to see them. Better luck next time.

Haymarket Riot
@ Brownies
5/26/02
Haymarket Riot are yet another great band coming out of the Chicago area. These kids may be from Illinois, but they’ve got a lot of records from DC in their collections. Think Fugazi, then think it again. They’ve got a herky-jerky spazz rock thing going on with dual vocals and a drummer that beats the hell out of his kit like it owes him money. This show would have been more suited to a matinee at ABC NO RIO rather than an 18 and over at Brownies, but they raged like their namesake despite the paltry crowd. The new record’s called Bloodshot Eyes and it’s a good one, but seeing them live is really the way to appreciate them. They deserve a bigger crowd next time.