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First up are Dirty Ho, over here from England. They give a fun performance and the songs sound a billion times better than what's on their myspace page. Antoinette's lookin' foxed out! Next come the Porch Honkees. Starting with a DEVO cover proves a nice icebreaker. Pretty damn fierce and I'm lovin' it! When they wrap, we walk over to this chicken place across the street and choke down as much food as we can before Angry Angles take the floor. We make it back in time but are too far back to see much--sounds amazing and that's all that really counts. This brings us to the Gonerfest moment I've been anticipating most, seeing Digital Leather live at long last. Years ago, Alicja Trout passed along a CD of theirs to check out and I've been hooked ever since. This performance totally delivers on their awesome recordings and if Gonerfest ended now, I'd be more than satisfied. Still more to go, though! Rat Traps annihilate their annihilating Bucc performance from a couple months back--they're getting real good real quick. It's hot in here and the look on Jeffrey's face behind the kit is worrisome but he guts it out. Bringing an end to this phase of the day are the Final Solutions. This is my first time seeing them as a four piece and the firepower remains overbearing. Hope these guys start playing out again more often. Thus, the best top-to-bottom event of Gonerfest concludes.
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With this part of the day wrapped, Cameron and I split to get some gear and make up handbills for a last minute aftershow he managed to pull together the previous evening. Slated to appear are the Whethermen, Angel Sluts, Boston Chinks, and a couple more--again at the Armory. It's a frantic dash squeezing all this in but we get to the Hi Tone right on time for tonight's main event.
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For whatever reason, be it lack of rest or getting so killed by the Bucc show, I find I've finally hit my wall once the first band begins. Oh no! For this reason, the Jenny Jeans, Golden Boys, and Demon's Claws don't crack my consiousness the way they otherwise would. I'm still enjoying myself but definitely not taking away everything I can from these bands. Between each act, I'm literally hugging a fan trying to stay in the game. I crouch down for a second and the five or so Mountain Dews I've downed tonight come back up a bit in my throat. Fucking miserable! Then, when all hope seems lost, Don Howland takes the stage with his band. From his work with Gibson Bros., Bassholes, and beyond, this guy has always been a real musical hero to me and I've managed to catch a miraculous fifteenth wind! I'm still devastated by the awesomeness when Leather Uppers step to bat. What a wild assed, raw as hell party these guys put on! It's a blur of catchy riffs and ruffled blouses. That only leaves one more official Gonerfest band and what a band it is. I haven't seen Reigning Sound since their move to North Carolina and things do feel a bit different from them here. Now a trio, there's an extra sense of harshness to the songs that wasn't there before. Still brilliant beyond words, it would've been difficult to dream up a better conclusion.
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With Gonerfest in the can, I drive Cameron over to the Armory to help him set up for the aftershow. Oh, fuck--due to some noise complaints the night before, the Armory can't host this thing. A guy volunteers his pad for the show and it's back to the Hi Tone to pass the word. After consulting some of the other involved parties, it's decided the new option is unsatisfactory and the aftershow is off. Bummer! Guy and Ant from Dirty Ho ask for a ride back to their hotel and we oblige. A peck on the cheek from Antoinette and a handshake from Guy and we're off to Cameron's. I've got so much adrenaline coursing through me, I decide to just drive back tonight and get out of this dude's hair--he's got work tomorrow, anyway. Without Cameron, I would've missed a great deal of this fun and I'm so grateful for his coolness and hospitality these last few days. Again, what a guy!
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