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| Down in Front by Traveler Recently I have had the displeasure of attending the performances of several local/regional acts in the southern Indiana area. These bands included the Bedspins, Rumor Has It and other less notables. For the most part it depended on the venue in which I was subjected to the musical blarings of the aforementioned musicians (if that is indeed what we wish to call them). In a the sea of cornfields that declares itself the province. Those who have attained legal drinking status much like those of us that live in the more cosmopolitan areas head to watering holes to enjoy sound, sight and sloppiness. Granted these establishments often are not much more than a pit of hormonially charged simple folk seeking to cheat or be cheated upon by those of the opposite sex. One has not lived until they have witnessed the debauchery of a hundred inbreed rednecks in heat set to the cover of the Rage great �guerrilla radio�. Hell, to these subhumans it is a foreign language that means swill some budweiser and let me see who wants to give up tonight. The message is lost on these backward middle america white bread land dwellers. Though these musicians not without talent lack either the desire, or the appreciation to do more than cover somebody else�s copyrighted works. To the audience it does not matter, it is live music covers of their favorites. For anyone who has not experienced the sensation I highly recommend it. Warning, do not travel alone and do your best to blend in as you may stir the natives. Oh, and do not smile too much as it can be construed as a sign of aggression in these less civilized areas. Now down to the dirt.. As I said I had the opportunity to witness several of these events but for the service of the reader I will limit myself to describing only one at length. That would be the Bedspins. They played for four hours with limited pauses. Their in between set musical backdrop was almost as entertaining as the show itself. I sat there at my own private table surveying the scene and a cast of drunken bumpkins to keep me from getting too comfortable with myself. This was the annual Christmas bash at Shorty�s Bar and Grill in Bedford, Indiana. The crowd overall was a collection of regulars and interesting interlopers inspecting the cost affective beverages, free finger food and live music. Back to the tunes. The �spins put on a damn fine effort considering that they are limited to what the crowd deems worthy of listenablity. After the third set they could have beat on a pot and the audience would not have minded too much I do not think. Still though as the night wore on and after a six pack nobody looks bad the drunken laments lead to the primal motions of the bodies in a rhythmic trance. The band�s interaction with the audience was fantastic. Audience participation could�ve only been prevented at gun point and maybe then not to a great extent. Overall the Bedspins put on a good show for where they were and whom they were playing to. The next day I had time to spend with the lead vocalist while I helped him load the band's gear into the back of a pick up truck. It was there that I decided that we cannot all be big city musicians, artists, writers or performers. For some it is better to reach the top of the heap if only it is playing for the farm team. If you feel the urge to travel away from the glitz of the big city where the beer is cheap and time moves slow I recommend checking out these acts. Partially for the experience and partly for the effort that these guys put into their performances. Oh yeah, and Shorty�s though still a pink on the red scale* is a place where everyone will know your name. So check it out. See ya next time.......... *note the red scale is a new creation of the writer to assess the redneck level of a certian location. The Red Scale pink- tolerable but beware of the level of ignorance dark pink - beware they may have white sheets in their closet red - if you look different or hold progressive views do not open your mouth or get out of the car |
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