Yes, youth of today, the Misfats are finally playing shows again after taking the summer off to bask in the glow of our own self-importance.
We had the pleasure to play with the
Sex Pistols Experience, a fully-endorsed, full-blown cover act from Limeyland and well worth the price of admission. We travelled through the pouring rain on Wednesday to play with just them at the WOW Hall in Eugene. The geniuses at the Eugene Weakly listed the flyer with the date of the show as, "Thursday, Aug. 24th" - they didn't even get the day of the week right much less the actual date. I thought the SPE drummer was literally going to curbstomp somebody over that one...Perhaps the audience inclusion of Jerry Baloney's oh-so-proud parents prevented utter disaster? Only historians will be able to make the call.
Needless to say the show was a bit underattended considering the venue. I think we still had around 50 kind souls come out but, in a place like WOW, they get kinda lost to the space (as you can see in the picture). It was also either a "rough set" or "good practice" for us, being on the stage for the first time in over three months. The fans seemed to enjoy it which is a win for us at all-ages shows. Young readers, just be secure enough in your punk rawk to mock it, okay? Really, it's okay to do that - maybe even more punk! (Yeah, I played that card.)
Forced to play through our lovely bargain gear SPE didn't hold back and had a ball. Their lengthy set covers all the Pistols' hits plus the "unacknowledged" period minus Lydon - which SPE also mimicked nicely by having their Lydon leave and their Sid get up front and even more vocally aggressive. Their Steve Jones doesn't look much like the original but when you can play guitar like this guy can and be a realy nice bloke to boot it doesn't really matter, does it?
The next night brought us back home to Portland. SPE and local heroes The Romanes were all onboard for another
Mike Thrasher Low Dough Show at Dante's. We've done well at the venue and in that event previously and Thursday night was no exception. Relatively well-attended and definitely well received we started off the night free of the mistakes and misfires of the previous night. And, as a bonus, they had - for us - a new sound guy who really knows what the heck he's doing. My vocals were low in the monitor, sure, but that ain't a bad thing - forces me to sing louder and keep up with the rest of the band for a change. But the crowd energy was HIGHLY enthusiastic and fun so we had a good (if short) set with it all.
I got accosted leaving the stage, too, which never happens. There was a line waiting for their turn - really! One gal had just moved here from NYC and was going to make her friends jealous letting 'em know she'd moved into our territory; another gal had found a Misfats t-shirt for her fella - at a local Goodwill. Good times, friendly folks, and pictures abounded. That really made this show feel like a proper homecoming, like arriving home after a long flight or driving that last couple miles home, you know?
The Romanes were as good as always and it was fun to play with them again. SPE came charging in again, tearing through their set, abusing the crowd, and have some fun even with having to play through our gear a 2nd night. They were a might confused, though, when - in true "Low Dough Show" fashion - everyone that had spent the first 2 hours pouring in now spent the next :30 min. pouring out of the place. SPE was taking it kinda personal which is understandable especially when faced with this type of confusing situation. Later, Sid was saying that, in England, people come late (ignoring the openers) for the headliner and stay all night and get more raucous toward the end, building to that. Considering they've played the 100 Club, Times Square, and a host of other shows with clearly credible bands at notable venues I had no case to doubt him and could better understand their confusion at our home town crowd. They didn't disappoint anyone who remained, though, and were/are well worth seeing if they cruise through your town.
Our next show is in about a month, on Friday the 13th, in Seattle. We'll be opening for the always-enthusiastic Michale Graves again and, after last night's show, we feel soooooo very ready to play with him another night that we're kinda excited. The week after that we're hopefully back in PDX; then, the next Friday, we return to Eugene, to John Henry's again, for a Halloween blowout that you won't wanna miss.
Thanks, again, to all the friends and fans that came out and cheered us on. That ain't lost on us at all and we sincerely thank you all for it!
