Time Out

Or, How writing a review of the new Suicide Machines album made me a better person. And if not that then a better writer/critic.

The other real problem with CMJ this year is that there's no one band I was really dying to see. Friday was just a prime example of this.

Yeah the Gossip are on the KRS/5RC showcase at the Knit, but it's $12 and the Gossip are going on at 1AM. And it's the Knit and that's a long time to stand around at a venue I don't like for a band I've already seen a few times. Plus, it's a full-venue showcase and the other bands I want to see are at conflicting times and to go to the other floors and back for the Gossip, not to mention the bathroom, I'd lose my spot. The AKAs were supposed to play CBGB, another $12 show. I almost bought the ticket ahead of time--I think there's a small processing fee even though there's no physical tickets in case CBGB is some holy grail of tourist spots. But I wanted to go because it might be the last time I was ever in CBGB. I almost bought a ticket ahead of time--I think there's still a small processing fee thru Ticketweb even though there's no physical ticket. But $12? For one band? Yeah it's CBGB and "a good cause." I wanted to go and I didn't. But as of this past week the CMJ listings didn't have them listed @ CBGB. Well, that makes up my mind. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ the Merc. That's $12 and an all-nighter 'cause they're going on at 11 or so. It's not the lateness of the hour but the lateness plus the 5 other bands I'd have to stand thru. Doors were at 7 or so--same thing with Dirty On Purpose on Saturday. That was $15 and they were going on at 11:30, doors at 6:30. !!! I've seen but they're going on at 11:30 @ SOBs and I hate SOBs. !!! is good, but I didn't gasp and get all nervous when I saw the listing. And they're not so good that I'd stand around SOBs all night. Hell, no band really is. On the updated listing, they were on at 1AM.

No, I'm not pussying out on a 4-day CMJ binge. I have work to do. Real work. My review of the Suicide Machines' War Profiteering Is Killing Us All is way overdue. It's really freakin hard to write an album review. I thought it would be so much fun and so easy to do. They handed me the disk and I thought, 500 words on a Suicide Machines album? Okay: This sucks. Lesse, that's 498 more words.

I rarely listen to albums anymore; I always go to shows and even then when I buy an album it's for the band I've seen or am going to see. And if this album sucks (it doesn't) I have to say that and why. Being a sarcastic know-it-all? Easy. Writing a serious album review? Hard. But clips in other mags lead to other clips lead to..... It takes a lot to write an album review. So I won't make fun of Xgau anymore. At least not until his next Consumer Guide.

I flipped through one of the back issues to get an idea of how to write it and found a letter to the editor: fuck punk where's that last Slipknot poster. And that's another thing that got to me. I'll be pissing off the metalheads for covering punk and possibly pissing off the punx--and possibly the band--for writing about their band in a metal mag. But the more I'm listening to the CD the more I want to throw it against the wall because I'm listening to it way too much. And stressing myself over this. I mean, I've heard of the band and that's it. Am I really qualified to write about them? And here I am, all these years since graduating college and I'm back to writing album reviews for free. I didn't get very far, did I? Hey, at least I can say that I made more money as a model than I did in the music world. Whoopdeefreakindoo.

So passing on CMJ gigs for the night bought me a few hours of looking up the lyrics and writing a few sentences and cutting and pasting them back and forth and having my browser freeze on me. The thing about every CMJ show I considered for Friday--even a few bands at Arlene Grocery which was probably $10 up from their usual $7, not to mention taking pix--was that it would be over in time for me to hit Rocky's as well. Yeah, I see Seanchai way too much but at least I know I'm going to see a good band. That's all I ask for in a night out. Besides, that's what CMJ is all about--seeing good bands in New York City. Sometimes you gotta leave your 17-page daily schedule behind to do that.