The Shins- 10/6

[dreamover]

do we know when doors open?

and where's a good place to get a drink near TMR?

[candycaneboy03]

do we know when doors open?

and where's a good place to get a drink near TMR?

sooooooooooooooo?!?!?!?!

[sjcapps07]

Well, here are a few brief notes of the show:
- Had never heard/heard of Low Cut Connie before tonight, but they were incredibly fun. Ben Folds Five-esque piano pop/rock. The singer looked like a flamboyant version of Matt Bellamy from Muse with the facial expressions of Gene Wilder. Hilarious and fun.
- The Shins were, unsurprisingly, awesome. Most of the stuff that went on the recordings is from the new album, but they played us some older stuff before and after the recordings started/stopped.
- There's a blue window behind the corner of the stage near the steps now where the cutting lathe is and a big TV monitor outside of the blue room so you can see the show being recorded to the disc up close. The few times I glanced over there it looked awesome.
- The new patio is a nice addition. It'll be good to have something better than a fairly narrow gravel alleyway to hang out in.
(Didn't check out the bathrooms or get a hot dog from the grill tonight am planning to for The Kills on Wednesday.)

All in all a really fun, enjoyable show with some awesome new additions to the Blue Room/overall TMR experience.

Also, a couple questions:
- Since the shows are now being recording, mixed, and mastered live straight to an acetate disc, does this theoretically mean faster turnarounds for the recordings?
- Since essentially all of the work, outside of making the stamper plates then pressing copies of the album, is being done live, will Jack even have any direct involvement with future live releases? Or am I misunderstanding how this all works?

[Alabama Woody]

The Shins show was real good. I have a few pictures on Facebook if anyone wants to check them out. I have a picture of the records in the ground outside the bathrooom. Good to see everyone. Had fun.

[dcmak5]

low cut connie totally surprised me. the piano player reminded me of jerry lee lewis and elton john. I guess I heard a tiny bit of CCR in there too

[alteridiom]

Great show last night. The upgrades are fantastic. Bathrooms are really nice. Toilet on the ceiling in the guy's room. Low Cut Connie were fun. Lots of energy. The piano player was entertaining. He was a very flamboyant guy. 30 minutes was plenty from them. Fun band to watch but it wears thin after a bit. The Shins were great. Mercer looked like he was having fun. Wasn't sure what to expect from him. I thought the set was great. Interested to hear how this vinyl ends up sounding. The new setup was fun to watch but looked like they were working out the kinks still. Hope they were running tape. Can't wait for The Kills Wednesday.

[dreamover]

Show was fantastic. Probably couldn't have asked for a better one. Got there a bit early, wasn't sure if 7 was the start time or the doors. Turned out to be the doors. Ended up in the front row. I noticed everyone in the crowd was super nice and respectful. Not used to that in Chicago. Not having cameras in the air all night was awesome too. Seemed like everyone had a blast. The Shins played pretty much every song I wanted to hear, but as mentioned above, they played mostly new songs for the recording. I wonder if this was an issue with Sub Pop or something. Still, they played all the new songs I wanted. Since I was in the front and stage left, i saw a lot of people come in and out the side door. White Rabbits, Alison, Brendan, and Karen all walked by at some point. Just a great time.

[Stl_ben]

The Shins were great...but Low Cut Connie easily stole the show. All around great night talking to great people and listening to great bands.

[mangry]

The Shins were great...but Low Cut Connie easily stole the show. All around great night talking to great people and listening to great bands.

I honestly hated LCC. I thought they were obnoxious and phony! The Shins were freaking amazing though. Their new guitarist had an awesome style of playing and some pretty sick guitar tone. In fact, the whole new lineup for the band just sounded incredible. I thought the setlist was pretty well balanced and will make a great LP.

[theeradicaleclectic]

The Shins were great...but Low Cut Connie easily stole the show. All around great night talking to great people and listening to great bands.

I honestly hated LCC. I thought they were obnoxious and phony! The Shins were freaking amazing though. Their new guitarist had an awesome style of playing and some pretty sick guitar tone. In fact, the whole new lineup for the band just sounded incredible. I thought the setlist was pretty well balanced and will make a great LP.

i might have to agree with this but they were fun and dancable... i think i called the front man a ham but now i think of him more as a monkey...

[DeeBee]

low cut connie totally surprised me. the piano player reminded me of jerry lee lewis and elton john. I guess I heard a tiny bit of CCR in there too

Thanks for this review. Just checked out some of their songs on youtube, and I really dig their sound. I'm not hearing CCR in there myself (and I love CCR), but there's something there that reminds me of the Black Lips, which to my ears is one of the best bands out there now. Low Cut Connie is not as noisy and messy as the Black Lips, but a similar vibe somehow. Some of their songs I like: Scoliosis in Secaucus, Share Your Name, and Rio.

[mangry]

They definitely have more chops than the Black Lips. I'll give them that much!

[DeeBee]

They definitely have more chops than the Black Lips. I'll give them that much!

If you "honestly hated" Low Cut Connie but you still think they're better than the Black Lips, then you must hate the Black Lips quite a lot. Well, there's no accounting for tastes in music.

FWIW, I'm not too crazy about The Shins, from what I've heard of their stuff. They sound too much like everything else on the radio, a bit bland for my tastes. But in a similar spirit, at least I'll give them credit for being better than the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

[mangry]

Well, I try to always look on the bright side, and they really were good musicians, but if you have those talents, don't waste them on a gag! Use 'em to take over the world...in a good way.

As for the Black Lips, they were fairly crummy musicians, but some of their songs are awesome! Some not so much.

And as for the chili peppers, you better watch it or Hsp88 will bust your chops!

[DeeBee]

Well, I try to always look on the bright side, and they really were good musicians, but if you have those talents, don't waste them on a gag! Use 'em to take over the world...in a good way.

As for the Black Lips, they were fairly crummy musicians, but some of their songs are awesome! Some not so much.

And as for the chili peppers, you better watch it or Hsp88 will bust your chops!

Oh, no! My laptop pixels are quivering in trepidation.

Re: LCC, I watched several youtube vids, and I didn't see where they were clowning around or being a gag, or phony/obnoxious/hams/monkeys/etc. What specifically were the members of LCC doing at that gig that made you think they were screwing around or not taking it seriously?

Re: the Black Lips, I like most of their songs a lot. I don't care so much about technical musical skill as I do what kind of music they make. (For example, I loved Meg White's drumming. I'm sure we all do, so that's not unusual. Just a reminder that musical skills come in many versions, and what counts at the end of the day is if the music hits home.) The Black Lips definitely do screw around a lot on stage, though, perhaps to the detriment of the audience enjoying the music.