I like music, and do not manage time well

All of July when I was in Alaska I was listening to the latest Maximo Park record. I was going to treat myself by seeing two of their shows, one in Seattle and one in Portland. I ended up extending my stay in AK and missing the shows, which sucked. The last time I saw them was at the Reading Festival in 2006, which was wonderful. I love seeing the Brit bands in England because I can see them with crowds like this (not just like this; I was in this actual crowd):



as opposed to the 100 or so people who turn out to see them here. Not that I don't love having them all to myself in a small venue, but would it kill us all to sing along and dance? I credit the far younger drinking age, in part, for the greater enthusiasm of UK crowds.

They rolled back through town on Sunday, opening for Travis, of all bands, and played a perfectly respectable set at the Crystal Ballroom. One that I ran into late because of taking too long at Loyly on coed night with Mr. W. I could hear them playing from the street and thought "Fuck! Why do they start right on time in Portland?" Fortunately we only missed one song, as I found out from a glance at the set lists pilfered by some Reubenesque Maximo fans.

The Crystal isn't the best venue in town and in fact kind of irritates me; the sound and the layout of the room just are off. But they rocked, Paul danced around so enthusiastically, and I got hot. I know he wears that hat because his hair is thinning but I don't care. Charisma, baby, that's the name of the game. I have had "The Coast is Always Changing" and "Our Velocity" on the jukebox at the little club for a while now and they always, always, make me so happy when I play them.

Not even 24 hours later I didn't retain the lesson about "Shows start early in this town." More than ten years of Austin timing -- three bands? First one will go on around 10:30 and the performances will run until the bar closes, at 2 a.m. Bigger venue? Opening band will go on about a half an hour or 45 minutes after the stated show start time. Never, ever fails.

Charalambides were to play the Someday Lounge. Show at 9, two opening acts, I figured 10:45 was a perfectly good time to get there. And it was, if all I wanted was the last five minutes of their set. I tried to see this damn band several times in the 90's and shit always went wrong. I drove to Houston to find they'd cancelled and the Mountain Goats were already playing. This time the slow folkie was Alasdair Roberts and though I can get into a Drag City mood sometimes, this wasn't the time for Scottish folk. I was in the mood for noise and psych.


Alas, I was destined to relive 1996 all over again, and not in the good way.