Gigs and a bit of Bitching

Hello all you beloved readers, I love you. You guys rock my world.

I hope that gave you enough warm fuzzies for the day. It's nice to feel loved.

Anyway enough with all the carry-on. This blog is just going to be me raving about the last two gigs we had and how awesome they were. Because they were AWESOME.

This guy knows

On Thursday we played a gig at Refuel with Flower, Black Sky Hustler and Not For You!. Flower were pretty cool, they played 2 instrumentals and changed up their genres, it was a good start to the night. Then Black Sky Hustler came on and BLEW MY MIND! They are a band that play punky style music, and all three members sing in unison. It was so simple, but so awesome. I couldn't believe no one else in Dunedin had thought of singing like that. Who needs harmonies :)

Not For You! are a punky/ska sort of band that remind me of The Offspring. They are wicked cool guys and I had heaps of fun dancing to their set. They had heaps of mates too, which was handy cause we don't really have that many. It was so refreshing to see a band that wasn't hung up on fitting into any kind of 'scene' or being 'unique', because bands like that are a dime a dozen in good ol' Dunedin. Which is quite ironic considering by trying to be unique, they end up sounding exactly like everyone else.

Yes, dears you are all unique.

Plus, it's also nice not to be hated on. Honeybone is almost the Nickleback of Dunedin in terms of haters. Thats our claim to fame. Not For You! actually like us. AND their bassist reads this blog. HEY SAM!

Our last gig was the 'Fiddy Club' gig at XII Below on Saturday night. There was an all-ages show in the afternoon but by the time we played pretty much everyone had left so we took that as a chance to have a wee jam. Good times had by all.

The gig started late, because of graduation the restaurant above XII Below was packed right up till about 10pm, which is when the first band, Rusty Pilot, played. They were a great mix of genres, and had some lovely harmonies going on, which are always good (I do realise I contradicted myself... but I'm allowed to. SO THERE).

Ash and the Matadors were up next and they were wicked. I loved that band the first time I saw them at a Refuel open mic night, and I love them now. Their songs are melodic yet rocky, with just the right amount of country/folk influence to keep me interested. Check them out when you get a chance, you won't regret it.

Matt Langley followed Ash, and Oleh followed Matt. Matt is a country singer song-writer who won the APRA song-writing award at Gore's Gold Guitar Awards last year, so he's pretty talented, check him out. He sang a beautiful rendition of 'Wagon Wheel' with the MC, which I loved as I am a hillbilly from Alexandra thus the words to that song are drummed into us from when we were sitting in the back of our Pa's wagon.

Oleh is a one band band, complete with loop pedal. He played dub infused goodness, and played everything right down to beatboxing. It was pretty cool, and we weren't keen to follow him. But we did, because what else were we going to do?

So we went on to a significantly smaller crowd than at the start of the night, but because the place was packed at the start of the night, the crowd was till pretty decent. Then some of our mates came form a party they were at, and made us look real cool by singing to 'I'll Be Your Devil'. Nic Dwyer even sang into the microphone. He rocks. So does his band Kitten Suprise. Check them out, I love them.

Aren't they ultra sexy!!

So that's about all I wanted to rave about. I could bitch about some stuff, but I don't know if I'm in a bitchy mood. I'll give it a shot.
*deep breath*

Simon Sweetman, you suck, your band is shit (so I've heard) so you don't really have the right to go around bashing talented, successful musicians such as Dave Grohl.

This is part of his blog about the Foos.

Foo Fighters albums exist to be played on The Rock. Foo Fighters albums exist to be played by people who have no idea what good, strong rock music is. Foo Fighters albums exist because Dave Grohl is laughing at how they are lapped up. Foo Fighters albums exist because Grohl's  jump-behind-the-kit-and-jam-with-anyone mentality has reached its logical conclusion.

Dave Grohl is a good drummer - he's better serving a song behind the kit than he is when placed anywhere else on stage. But Dave Grohl is not at all one of the great drummers. He is above adequate; highly skilled even. He is no innovator. He might deserve two thumbs up for walking away from one of the most iconic and important bands of the last 25 years - and the last rock band that really mattered. But then, it might have been better if he'd just let his playing in Nirvana be his legacy. 

1. Foo Fighters are one of my favourite bands, and I am completing an Honours Music Degree. So by saying that The Foo Fighters only exist to be played by people who don't know music, you've insulted a good amount of people who read your blog. Including me. Nice one.

2. Who the great drummers, oh wise one? Some names would be nice. Maybe because you don't know of any? Just because Dave Grohl doesn't play crazy fills every two bars doesn't mean he isn't good. He has feel. That's what a good drummer is, one who has feel. The days of drummers like Keith Moon who continuously play drum fills are over, Dave Grohl plays exactly what the song needs every time. 

3. Grohl didn't 'walk away' from Nirvana, the main member in terms of songwriting, image and sound died. If Nirvana carried on, they would have become more hated than Nickleback. 

In the world of most careers, those who cannot do, teach. In the world of the performing arts, those who cannot do, review. 

Thank you and Goodnight.