The Good-Bye Guys
Deathmask/Deck-Of-Jack/Your 33 Black Angels//Continental//9/12/06
I couldn’t believe it when I saw the schedule. I mean, at that time I knew about SMUT’s gig and Blackout Shoppers (and I assumed I was going to the latter), but I was stunned when I saw Deck-Of-Jack listed. And for free. I almost got teary. To me it was like . . . well, it doesn’t matter what, exactly, I thought. I’m melodramatic sometimes.
I was kinda worried about this whole House-on-at-8-thing because if I have to go out, I’ll have to miss the show. No biggie, really, because I always read the synopses online. It’s just that I never really watch TV and finally, here’s a show that I follow regularly. (And before you suggest that I get a VCR, yeah, I have one, but I don’t know how to work it. See what I mean?) Maybe it’ll work out better for bands I’m going to at 10. Before, it’s always been, “Gee, what bad TV I’ve missed,” and now, though there were a few predictable shows/cases/plots (and I even predicted one of his quips, so my sarcasm factor must be at an all-time high) it was a really weird one that night and I had to miss the last 10 mins or so. There was something weird on the tracks as I headed down the stairs. The G train. Holy shit, they do exist. Which I just missed, so I took the R local to 59th and express to 14th and then the 6. It would’ve been nice to go my usual route, but I didn’t want to push waiting for the 6 @ 51st. Predictably, the cover of the Voice is for the big features on the Continental and CBGB, which is good because now I don’t have to write about the Continental. Good because I have enough else to write/procrastinate about, and good because you won’t have to read it.
“As many of you may know, Continental (one of NYC’s best live rock venues) is calling it quits this week. Because live rock doesn’t pay the bills anymore, they’re getting rid of the stage, and replacing it with a pool table and some high-def televisions. Yes, the Continental will soon be a trendy bar (sigh).
In celebration of its great history, Continental is hosting a string of ‘goodbye’ gigs this week. They have put out the word to their favorite bands, and Deck-of-Jack has been so kindly asked to play tonight.”
Getting rid of the stage? Seriously? But Joey Ramone performed on that stage. Iggy Pop. D Gen. Blondie. Bob Dylan. Can’t they just leave the stage, still put in a pool table, and when they make back enough money, the stage will still be there. It can still look like a rock club, but be a bar. Then again, maybe it’ll be better to start fresh after they make their money as a regular bar and then they can build the stage anew and have new bands help it start over. Then again, they probably took down the stage at Brownies when it became Hi-Fi.
All bands got 15 mins., and they did on Tuesday as well. There were about 15 bands each on both days. When I 1st saw the sched w/o the set times, I thought maybe it was a shoutout to past performers. They didn’t ask me who I was there for, even though I told them. Said it didn’t matter. I guess Deck-of-Jack didn’t need their draw of 50 in order to get booked there again. (Yeah, I heard about that. If a band doesn’t have 50 people there for them, they get bounced from the bill or something like that. See, that’s why I never book shows. I don’t even know 50 people.) There was pretty much nobody there. I don’t get Deathmask using that name, because with a name like Deathmask I was expecting death metal, not torchy ballads sung by a wisp of a woman. A couple danced. One couple hugged and swayed to the music. One blond woman stood on the seat of her booth and danced. Jaysus, you’ll have the bar soon enough. Have some dignity.
By the time Deck-of-Jack hit their stride without Juice, their set was over. I remembered the change of battery and went to change it, tossing the old one toward my bag and actually getting it in. They closed with Rowdy Roddy Piper (no handmade kilts), and they tried to get us to echo them on the chorus, “My man! My man! Rowdy Roddy Piper!” and for the last call and repeat, I clambered up onstage even though I almost didn’t because I didn’t want to freak them out but this was it and there was no turning back and I jumped. I must’ve landed funny, because I—
Psyche, I didn’t twist my ankle. I landed fine, and in time for the last Rowdy Roddy Piper. But you probably thought that that’s what I was going to say, and I thank you for that.
A guy who was there because he was friends w/Your 33 Black Angels was freaking out about Deck-of-Jack and how mind-blowing they were. And that, to me, is a perfect Continental moment. One of the things that the Continental was all about—taking a chance on a free show, or a $5 show, and maybe seeing your next favorite band. Yeah, they had big legends in the past and from time to time until the end, but they always took a chance on bands—even though they had the wrong name, like Deathmask.
So since the guy was so impressed with Deck-of-Jack and the show was free and sets only 15 minutes, I stayed for Your 33 Black Angels, even though I think that’s a weird name. But I’ve seen it around, and maybe there’s a reason behind that moniker. If so, I didn’t get it. They were okay, kinda folksy, and maybe we were all riding that happy, one last chance to see our fave bands for free, last “regular show” vibe.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw the schedule. I mean, at that time I knew about SMUT’s gig and Blackout Shoppers (and I assumed I was going to the latter), but I was stunned when I saw Deck-Of-Jack listed. And for free. I almost got teary. To me it was like . . . well, it doesn’t matter what, exactly, I thought. I’m melodramatic sometimes.I was kinda worried about this whole House-on-at-8-thing because if I have to go out, I’ll have to miss the show. No biggie, really, because I always read the synopses online. It’s just that I never really watch TV and finally, here’s a show that I follow regularly. (And before you suggest that I get a VCR, yeah, I have one, but I don’t know how to work it. See what I mean?) Maybe it’ll work out better for bands I’m going to at 10. Before, it’s always been, “Gee, what bad TV I’ve missed,” and now, though there were a few predictable shows/cases/plots (and I even predicted one of his quips, so my sarcasm factor must be at an all-time high) it was a really weird one that night and I had to miss the last 10 mins or so. There was something weird on the tracks as I headed down the stairs. The G train. Holy shit, they do exist. Which I just missed, so I took the R local to 59th and express to 14th and then the 6. It would’ve been nice to go my usual route, but I didn’t want to push waiting for the 6 @ 51st. Predictably, the cover of the Voice is for the big features on the Continental and CBGB, which is good because now I don’t have to write about the Continental. Good because I have enough else to write/procrastinate about, and good because you won’t have to read it.
“As many of you may know, Continental (one of NYC’s best live rock venues) is calling it quits this week. Because live rock doesn’t pay the bills anymore, they’re getting rid of the stage, and replacing it with a pool table and some high-def televisions. Yes, the Continental will soon be a trendy bar (sigh).
In celebration of its great history, Continental is hosting a string of ‘goodbye’ gigs this week. They have put out the word to their favorite bands, and Deck-of-Jack has been so kindly asked to play tonight.”
Getting rid of the stage? Seriously? But Joey Ramone performed on that stage. Iggy Pop. D Gen. Blondie. Bob Dylan. Can’t they just leave the stage, still put in a pool table, and when they make back enough money, the stage will still be there. It can still look like a rock club, but be a bar. Then again, maybe it’ll be better to start fresh after they make their money as a regular bar and then they can build the stage anew and have new bands help it start over. Then again, they probably took down the stage at Brownies when it became Hi-Fi.
All bands got 15 mins., and they did on Tuesday as well. There were about 15 bands each on both days. When I 1st saw the sched w/o the set times, I thought maybe it was a shoutout to past performers. They didn’t ask me who I was there for, even though I told them. Said it didn’t matter. I guess Deck-of-Jack didn’t need their draw of 50 in order to get booked there again. (Yeah, I heard about that. If a band doesn’t have 50 people there for them, they get bounced from the bill or something like that. See, that’s why I never book shows. I don’t even know 50 people.) There was pretty much nobody there. I don’t get Deathmask using that name, because with a name like Deathmask I was expecting death metal, not torchy ballads sung by a wisp of a woman. A couple danced. One couple hugged and swayed to the music. One blond woman stood on the seat of her booth and danced. Jaysus, you’ll have the bar soon enough. Have some dignity.
By the time Deck-of-Jack hit their stride without Juice, their set was over. I remembered the change of battery and went to change it, tossing the old one toward my bag and actually getting it in. They closed with Rowdy Roddy Piper (no handmade kilts), and they tried to get us to echo them on the chorus, “My man! My man! Rowdy Roddy Piper!” and for the last call and repeat, I clambered up onstage even though I almost didn’t because I didn’t want to freak them out but this was it and there was no turning back and I jumped. I must’ve landed funny, because I—
Psyche, I didn’t twist my ankle. I landed fine, and in time for the last Rowdy Roddy Piper. But you probably thought that that’s what I was going to say, and I thank you for that.
A guy who was there because he was friends w/Your 33 Black Angels was freaking out about Deck-of-Jack and how mind-blowing they were. And that, to me, is a perfect Continental moment. One of the things that the Continental was all about—taking a chance on a free show, or a $5 show, and maybe seeing your next favorite band. Yeah, they had big legends in the past and from time to time until the end, but they always took a chance on bands—even though they had the wrong name, like Deathmask.
So since the guy was so impressed with Deck-of-Jack and the show was free and sets only 15 minutes, I stayed for Your 33 Black Angels, even though I think that’s a weird name. But I’ve seen it around, and maybe there’s a reason behind that moniker. If so, I didn’t get it. They were okay, kinda folksy, and maybe we were all riding that happy, one last chance to see our fave bands for free, last “regular show” vibe.
posted by heather @ 9:25 PM
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