Anyone who knows my musical taste knows I'm especially fond of a certain sound, "music from a cave," as we affectionately refer to it. And a perfect example of that sound is the Raveonettes, so tonight Andrew and I headed to D.C. through the pea soup and drizzle to catch their show at the 9:30 Club.
Our first stop was Ben's Chili Bowl for eats (R.I.P. founder Ben Ali; two enormous funeral wreaths still stand outside the restaurant). I got the chili half-smoke (being a native and aware of its origins) and Andrew got the chili cheeseburger; we shared a giant order of perfectly cooked fries. Chili and onions dripped off my half-smoke with every bite, but that's what the plastic fork is for, after all. Overheard at the table nearest us, "I've never actually been here sober before." Given that Ben's is open until 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, that statement wasn't too terribly surprising.
I had only discovered openers The Black Angels last week on a CD sampler Andrew had lent me, but I immediately appreciated their cave-like sound, so I was pleased to learn we'd be hearing them tonight. Their sound was full of echo, and right up my alley, except for the hole that developed in the drummer's snare, but he did a quick patch job with duct tape and soldiered on...until that gave way and he solicited the audience, "Anyone got a snare drum we can borrow?"
The main event, The Raveonettes, a Danish duo with the most amazing two-part harmonies, was impressive, to say the least. I love the sheer amount of noise they make, but it's the guitar leads that take it to another level. Then there's the sunny melodies coupled with invariably dark lyrics; on the new "Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)," the upbeat simplicity of the melody belies the dark words. They used multiple drummers in some songs and switched instruments, two of my favorite band tricks, not to mention strobe lights galore, tons of reverb, and effects of all kinds. At one point, Sune told the audience, "There's been a lot of dancing here tonight. We like dancing. We dance when we go to shows." We witnessed dancing of all sorts, strange, frenetic and otherwise, but it was hard not to move, given the music.
A wall of sound and a chili half-smoke from Ben's; tell the truth, was your night half as excellent as all that? I don't see how.
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