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Okay, it's been a complicated evening for us. After celebrating Shari's birthday at a swanky bar, we went to TT's, paid and got our hands stamped, and then went to the Middle East downstairs, where The Information start things off. This is the third time I've seen them, and for the first time they're really good. The guitars and bass are punky and powerful and very solid, as usual, but tonight the drummer is right on and the keyboard parts are sharp and crisp. This really makes all the difference to their sound. They also have a really good mix, which has been a distinguishing characteristic of the semi-finals. The place may not be packed, but there's quite a respectable and very enthusiastic crowd for 9:30. After seeing this set, I wouldn't mind seeing them win.
Jake Brennan has a slightly different set of Confidence Men tonight. They had mentioned during their set in the prelims that the pedal steel player was leaving town; tonight he's been replaced by Scott Janovitz on keyboard. Nothing like bringing in a ringer when the chips are down! I cannot believe that Scott hasn't been playing with them for months, if not years, but this is apparently only their second show together. He plays boogie-woogie piano leads, with lots of pounding high up on the keyboard, on some songs; for others, he uses an organ patch and provides tasty backup. A steady rhythm section, fierce guitar leads, and Jake's gravelly voice and winning stage presence make for a joyous set. And Jake's got the boots: pointy-toed silver snakeskin numbers that ought to win the Rumble all by themselves.
I confess, I am rooting for The Model Sons tonight, and they do not disappoint me. They play a take-no-prisoners set tonight, all rock-star energy and vocal wildness. I am a dancing fool. Ian seems particularly on fire tonight, and while Tom comments that he feels it makes the songs less melodic than in the past, I personally feel that it gives them a degree of intensity and swagger that adds to the experience. And Ian's vocals play with rhythm in a way that I love--"Moment To Moment" is a standout track in this regard. But then, playing with rhythm in a way that I love may be what this band does best.
Stoic are the last band competing tonight, and I saw more of Stoic in the prelims than I ever wanted to. Fortunately, it's just time for Loveless to go on at TT's. In fact, we miss one song, and just as we come in, the bass is in the process of falling apart. (The pickups just sort of sprang out from the body!) One of the other bands provides an emergency backup bass, which is very small and looks weird and cute on Pete. Dave fills in with an impromptu solo Smiths cover ("Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want") while Pete gets tuned up and ready, and they continue with their planned set, already in progress. While I continue to wish that they would write and rehearse new songs, the ones they do are golden, and they play them with tremendous gusto tonight, adding a new, mellower arrangement of "Cold" and a long, crazy-awesome guitar solo on "This Is A Way". Several of the songs, in fact, stretch out longer and more intense than I'm used to hearing them. The new "Cold" arrangement is apparently something of a sticking point, or something like that, as they have a little meltdown on stage when it's done, but then they rally to finish strong. We head back down to hear the outcome, and Jake Brennan and the Confidence Men will play the finals along with The Dents. Stoic's fans are pretty ripshit about all that, which is fine with me.
