Brave Captains.... Jah for Weenies.

[hofmann@nrl-css.arpa (James B. Hofmann)]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Crimony/ DC3 / fIREHOSE @ 930, DC - Mar 12, 87

Missed Crimony but M. Parker of the opine that 
I didn't miss much.  DC3 was just revving up
as I entered.  Lotsa James Gang influence here,
folks.  Dez is fun to watch solo, keeps on pushing
the bridge  of his Granny glasses betwixt riffs.  
And besides the bassist, Dez is about the only thing 
going for this band.  The drummer is more than rough
around the edges, he's ragged and can't come
forth w/ the jam, misses the beat often, looks
out of breath.  And the keyboardist/singer (re-
portedly Kira's bro and former N. Hagen sideman)
is overbearing and probably has bad breath to 
boot.  By the end of the set, they'd run the
gamuuut of 70's arena influences and ended up
sounding like Blue Oyster Cult.  Dez lost his
glasses.

A quick changeover in which DJ M. Parker entertains
the youngish crowd (Spring Break '87, pals) w/
clips of Black Sabbath (back when they looked
like an SST band) and "Sleeper" (of the Woody
Allen persuasion).  Made big mistake though
seguing fIREHOSE in w/ a album rendition of
"the Red and Black".  Violates a cardinel rule
of DJing for a show by giving away a cover, y'know.
Watt (he of the head bandage) scolds him and
cuts the song off mid-way.  Po' Mitch.  fIREHOSE
opens w/ about a handful of their hook-filled originals 
("Brave Captain", "From One Comes One", "Candles and ..."
"Chemical Wire") and pretty much peak for the
night. Countering the rapid guitar hooks is a well-
practiced rhythm section. The rest of the time is spent running
through some Minutemen covers (pleasing the
crowd immensely as they sang along with at least
every first line of each verse...) and other
stuff (course "the Red and Black" and an eDSOLO).  Crowd 
(of course) brings 'em back for requisite encore -
the 2nd time, eDFROMOHIO sings a pukey ballad
(sorry, I'll take Jim Nabors for this type o'
stuff, Ed).  Overall rating of show on the
1 to 5 scale is 3.8 (not counting DC 3 who
don't even break 1).

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1/2 Japanese/ Eugene Chadbourne @ dc space, 27 Feb '87

1/2 Jap pretty much amaze w/ the best performance I've
seen 'em give in 2.5 years (which goes back to the
first time I saw them and they sucked then, too).  Something
has happened, though, with this group and they are
REALLY taking off.  This could go places.  Then again
it might not.  Heavy, Butthole-Beefheartian influences
reign as they steal every blues riff they can manage
and place it into a context only a child can understand.
But if you're a child at heart, you won't feel lost.  Only
downer of this fantastic set was some blabbermouth (J. Sasfy)
from the City Paper who was audible during song breaks
and between songs.  Presumably, he was giving writing tips
to fellow dc period scribes.

Eugene bounced out of a cab during the jap set and squandered
himself in the upstairs practice/drugs room whilst two
Eugene groupies stood outside pointing out to each lucky
passerby that a God was in the next room.  eugene comes
on a little too late and stays just a little too long
but all in all comes through with a much more realized
and practiced set of materiel than his presentation 
in late summer, '86 (hung jury pub).  new tune rules,
"Ollie's Playhouse", set to the tune of "Pee Wee's Playhouse"
and lampooning that big ol' white building just down 
the street.  No toy guitars this time, but the bird
cage and saw create lotsa racket on ovation.  Eugene
even sings what appears to be a love ballad but turns
into a condemnation of goverment (any goverment, it
appears) policies and politics.  Oh yeah, this time
Chadbourne opens with the rake, passes it around and
puts it back not to be seen again.  The rumored and
much anticipated 1/2 Jap and Eugene jam never takes 
place as Chadbourne runs a little too late for these
DC namby pambies and their friggin' curfew laws.  
I hope to god they didn't jam later at a party and
no one invited me.