OT: Hot Head Show in the U.S.!!!

[policefan]

I planned to show up with a video camera and interview each member of the band about their pyschological trauma related to the tour, but, I had to go to work. dc

That would have been HOT!

XD

[plutonic]

I planned to show up with a video camera and interview each member of the band about their pyschological trauma related to the tour, but, I had to go to work. dc

That would have been HOT!

XD

Hot, I dunno.
Hopefully Jordan would've appreciated the humor.
Wish I could go do exactly this at the Troc tonight.

dc

[sockii]

Hot, I dunno.
Hopefully Jordan would've appreciated the humor.
Wish I could go do exactly this at the Troc tonight.

dc

Wish ya could, too!

I'm hoping I can still make it tonight - I've been feeling sick as a dog the last 2 days. Just roused myself from a nap. Will probably go back to sleep in the hopes I can feel well enough to venture outside this evening.

[conroy]

Hope you feel better and can make it, sockii. Wish I could be there, too

[luddite lady]

I really enjoyed myself last night at the NXNE Festival, and Hot Head Show was certainly the highlight for me. Although there were many other festival venues within walking distance (even for me), Grace and I decided to just set up shop for the evening at the El Mocambo and watch the earlier bands as we waited for HHS's midnight time slot. The other groups were local, young, emerging bands who had a lot of folks come out to support them, including parents and what appeared to be at least one grandpa. The first band we heard rocked the partisan crowd with one identical sounding song after another in a way that was sure to impress all the girls in their chemistry class if only they had been old enough to get into the club. The next band, a New Wave inspired group with too many members, had a little more polish and variety, but they too got monotonous and sometimes, by sheer numbers, created a wall of sound incongruent with the vibe they were aiming for.
Next up was HHS, and for me, their quirky, eclectic and unpredictable sound was a refreshing change. Their musicianship was obvious. Grace declared Betamax the drummer of the night by far. Jordan and Vaughn showed off their chops, and all three seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, impervious to the fact that three quarters of the audience evaporated by the third song of the set. (After all, it was way past grandpa's bedtime.) Actually, Jordan did announce at one point in the set that HHS have a reputation as room clearers and he was impressed by how many of us had "hung on".
Then a strange thing happened. More to come in a bit.

[luddite lady]

More of HHS in Toronto.
Jordan began a tongue in cheek sing along with the audience. The lyrics were a nonsensical “wah-wah” sound set to an impossible to follow melody. Sitting (damn knee) near the front of the room, I decided to play along and joined in on the wah-wahing. I’m pretty sure I was the only one in the audience doing this. Jordan saw me and, to note my effort, pointed (It must be hereditary.) and said something like, “That’s the way to do.” A guy standing very near to me literally jumped away so nobody would think Jordan was referring to him. But I was quite pleased with myself. I think I may be the first person ever to elicit intergenerational Copeland performance pointing. And I didn’t even need a flag to get the junior point.
HHS definitely is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I find their music so different that I’m willing to give it a chance to grow on me. However, that requires a degree of commitment. And at this festival, with six or seven other venues a stone’s throw from the El Mo, most concert goers are just not that committed. It would be like going to an all you can eat buffet and piling your plate with one menu choice. Jordan gave the audience a rapid fire explanation of what bang bang music, as they call it, is all about. He spoke so fast that he made Stewart sound like Eyore. In fact, I didn’t understand a word of what he said. I couldn’t even tell if I was supposed to. At that point, a few more people drifted away, likely to seek out a band that was less of a challenge.
After the set, we were hoping to say hello to Vaughn, but he was nowhere to be seen. We saw Jordan and Betamax wandering about the club though, and when they went outside for air, Grace and I followed suit. On the relatively quiet sidewalk out front of the club, I struck up a conversation with Jordan. He really seems to be a gracious, personable young man. Based on our brief encounter, I can see why Stewart likes to go on about Jordan’s people skills. He appears to have them in spades without an ounce of schmooziness. I was wearing the silk screened Certifiable T-shirt that my daughter had made me for Christmas. Jordan noticed it almost right away and said, “I suppose this means you know who I am.” He said this without being pretentious. Rather, he meant it in a kind of oops-my-secret’s-out kind of way. I explained that I knew of both him and Vaughn due to “that little website”. Recognizing Grace and me as Nutters, Jordan welcomed us warmly and led us back into the club to look for Vaughn and to get us a couple of HHS CDs. He admitted that they were giving all the CDs away for free because they had received them for nothing due to a screw up; the songs on the cover are listed in reverse order. We then met Vaughn, another warm individual, and listened for a while to the next group who had already started playing by this point. They were a local band who has created a fair bit of buzz, and they seemed quite good. The place began to fill up again. But it was getting quite late for us non-musician types, so Grace and I said our goodbye’s and wished them all a safe flight back to England. This was the last of their North American dates and they are flying home either Saturday or Sunday. (The noise of the club made it hard for me to hear clearly.)
Vaughn, if you are reading this, please convey my apologies to Max for not introducing myself. He was mostly preoccupied with those Bubble Girls after the gig. (Gee, that’s a whole other story, huh?) Also, please tell Jordan that I wanted him to know that I really enjoyed “Better Than Therapy” in case he didn’t get that implied message from my T-shirt. I hope to have a chance to see you guys perform again some time soon.

[Maud138]

Great story,LL, I always love your writing. I guess you had a great time together with Grace. I wish I could have been there. Still hoping HHS will play the Netherlands some time.

[moonstone]

[quote="luddite lady"]He spoke so fast that he made Stewart sound like Eyore.[/quote]



This is a great story LL.

Glad to hear you had a good time and can get out to shows despite your poor knee.

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="luddite lady"]Jordan saw me and, to note my effort, pointed (It must be hereditary.) and said something like, “That’s the way to do.” A guy standing very near to me literally jumped away so nobody would think Jordan was referring to him. But I was quite pleased with myself. I think I may be the first person ever to elicit intergenerational Copeland performance pointing.[/quote]

HAHA. I thought the singalong thing during the show really funny, but that guy jumping away is hilarious.

Glad you and Grace had a good time, llady. Thanks for the story!

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Yaaay! And glad some of their other gigs are working out. They had a last minute problem at Bonnaroo and I called a few people I know here locally...but it was pretty last minute and nobody's phones work out there (they keep saying the problem will be fixed and it never is), so wasn't able to be of much help. I hope they had fun hanging out in the sun with Claypool, in any event.

[Grace]

As usual, LL's summary is accurate and thorough. This was my first exposure to HHS. There's no question that the technical musical ability is there in spades.
I also thought the Copeland point was an amusing highlight & God love LL for having the balls to "wah wah" along!
Many thanks to LL for cajoling me out of my comfort zone and forcing me to get out and do something enjoyable. A most welcome distraction from my woefully dull existence as of late.
(All that's gonna change when I get that killer job at the roller rink, LL!).
Congrats to the boys on the completion of the North American leg of their tour.

[sockii]

Nice write-up, LL. Your observations about Jordan are spot-on with what I experienced in Philly and AC. A truly charming and polite man who was very appreciative of the folks who there to see them. I couldn't believe it in AC when one of the first things Jordan said after recognizing me was that he'd seen and appreciated the write-up I'd given of HHS for the website I'm working for these days! Vaughn was awesome and so sweet as well.

I'm really HORRIBLY bummed I missed the Troc show, but I was feeling so ill last week I just could not drag myself out for a late night show - and potentially pass along my germs to anyone else, including the band. Self-imposed quarantine was severely necessary.

Anyway. THANK YOU ONCE MORE to Hot Head Show for giving us in North America a chance to hear you guys live. It was beyond appreciated by many of us!

[ltwoman]

I haven't been reading this thread, being one of the "no way in hell am I going to get to go" crowd. But as fate would have it, I popped in this morning and caught the best part, I suppose! LL saves the best for last, so now I will start reading from the top again and thanks for the story(s) all!

[63falcon]

This HH show review, luddite lady, has been a great read-and makes me wish all over again that I hadn't had the conflict w/ their show here in Cinci OH area! Very much enjoyed yer 'wah-wah' experience. I atart dancing w/out realizing it if I like the music, so folks jumping away from me during a show is par for the course ! Take it as a compliment!
Thank you again for such a thorough review. I'll be looking for their CD at one of the independent stores here.

[luddite lady]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed my report. I only wish you all could have been there in person.
Thanks so much for joining me, Grace. As always, you made the outing even more enjoyable thanks to your warmth and quick wit.
Next time we take in a show, you bring the bubble soap and I'll see what I can do about the vintage bridesmaid dresses.
(This is my attempt to get you to describe the Bubble Girls. Or better yet, if Vaughn or one of his band mates reads this, I would love to hear an account of the experience from their point of view.)