Tied For Last

Third band of a four-band night.

It was an awful week in TFL-ville. We got word early Sunday that Errol Kats, a TFL friend, and first cousin to our very own Revlina (and cousin to Punk Rock Jenn, also), was hit by a car and killed. He was 21 years old.

The funeral was the same day as the gig. Needless to say, the good Reverend wasn't gonna be there to work her management/photographic/networking magic for us, and it was the first show she's missed since we started playing in 2002.

Meanwhile, though I may have been miserable, we still had a show to put on.

Now the last time we played Trash, we had a lot of fun. We loved the place, the other bands and the whole vibe, but the sound was, um… how can I put this? Unsatisfactory. Because of that, we were a little hesitant about re-booking there. The promoter, Steve Blush, treated us so well though, and had said that he'd put the Trakes on with us again, so we decided to go with it. This time, the sound was no problem at all.

Since audience stalwarts Rev. Caroline, BatPam and "Mike" weren't gonna be making the trip out with us, Tom and I drove down together in the same car. There was NO traffic, so we got there at about 8:15 or so. We weren't due to hit the stage until 10 and for a good long while, we were just sitting there hanging out with the bartender in a virtually empty club. Kisco Slim came shortly thereafter.

The 8:30 band showed up sometime after 8:30, but they brought some people with 'em. I didn't have the head to go back and check them out for long, but from what I did hear, they were actually pretty good. The band that followed was good as well. Also, the sound in the room was about 100 times better than the last time we played there. Same sound guy, too, so maybe it was the equipment last time?

We weren't expecting an audience at all, so we must give HUGE props to Chris and Edy and all the friends that they brought with them. They were all awesome (and they helped to put me in a MUCH better mood)! It was also great to have the Trakes in the audience.

Because we were playing as a three-piece again (see 2/11/06 gig review for the story), the setup didn't take long at all. Because the wake and funeral, I hadn't played bass all week, so I was wondering if/when I was gonna fuck it up. Surprisingly, I didn't.
As soon as we had everything set up, we just dove right in, and for the first time all week, I was having a great time. The stage sound was good, and we're feeling quite comfortable as a three-piece (though I hope we go back to a four-piece soon for so many reasons). The audience seemed engaged, and there were definitely a few folks who were not there to see us, but who were having a blast nonetheless.

The whole show seemed like a blur, but in a really good way because it felt like we were firing on all cylinders. We sped through the first four songs, and Tommy sang the lead on our cover of "867-5309/Jenny." All was sounding good and feeling right.

Tom went to bass and I to guitar for "Sailor" and "Beautiful in Black." My hand cramped a little, which marred the bridge to "Beautiful in Black," but I regained my coordination quickly and Tommy's bass solo brought us right back on course.

We switched our instruments again and blazed through "Superstar" and "Achiever," both of which were well-received. Then, as a surprise for everyone, we brought Edy up on stage and she sang the lead for "Wasted" (for those of you who don't know, Edy used to sing in the "Raging Hormones" a few years back). She remembered the words better than Tommy or I ever did, but more importantly, she sounded GREAT! She's welcome anytime!

I then gave my bass to Tom and picked up the guitar for "Got No Life" and our closing cover of "Viva Las Vegas."

The show felt great, and the response of the people in the club was awesome! We met a few new folks as well, and we'd like to thank 'em for making it a great night for us.

Sadly, most of our crew had to leave, but there was no way Tommy, Slim and I were gonna miss the Trakes, and they did not disappoint. They played an unbelievably tight set, and sounded great throughout. Meanwhile, I wouldn't have thought that the Ramones' "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" was a song that could be improved in a cover version, but I have been proven wrong.

Set List:
(Steve played bass unless otherwise noted)
SHE WAS JUST A GIRL
WE'RE ALRIGHT
TAKE JANINE AWAY
PARTY DRESS
867-5309/JENNY (Tom sang lead)
SAILOR (Tom - bass, Steve - gtr)
BEAUTIFUL IN BLACK (Tom - bass, Steve - gtr)
SUPERSTAR
ACHIEVER
WASTED (Edy sang lead!!)
GOT NO LIFE (Tom - bass, Steve - gtr)
VIVA LAS VEGAS (Tom - bass, Steve - gtr)