Limited Capacity

February 2008: This has been a month the likes of which I have only observed once before. Long, long ago, during October 2006, back when I was rollin' in dough and had the whole world laid out before me, I attended 15 concerts in one month (a regular "Rocktober", if you will).

Well, being as I have to appear at least somewhat presentable at work during the day (and not as hung over as I did in class during that fateful Autumn), I have what I will call a "limited capacity" (alright, I have cleared the Bill Callahan tie in hurdle... that will likely be the last you hear of our beloved baritone in this post, sadly). That may or may not be bullshit, however, at the rate I have been going.

When I attend these shows, and so far this month I have attended 8, I am often bowled over by the urge to document what is taking place, for better or for worse. My mind clicks away like a type writer, struggling to rap down the scene before and around me. I shy away from being one of the "YouTubers"... you know the ones. They are the assholes that make sure to record every second of a show by standing perfectly still and ignoring the fact that there is a live performance taking place around them (and also stick their inconvenient elbows right in my eyeline and/or shush me). Don't get me wrong; God bless YouTube. I love the videos on there, but I don't want to know where they come from. I don't need to be anything to do with the process. But I digress. I am a silent, mental recorder, and because I have attended so many damn shows this month, my brain is filling up. I have decided that on this lovely Saturday afternoon, while I should be out running around, I am going to compact every show that I have seen this month into a straightforward, all-encompassing review in haiku form. It's like I always say: Haikus - never not funny. So please, enjoy:

Ryan Adams at Royce Hall, January 31, 2008

On/off the wagon
With his Rufus-like antics
Ryan steals my heart.

Your Vegas/The Switches at the Crash Mansion, February 2, 2008

UMG bands both
"The poor man's Franz Ferdinand"
But accents abound!

Simon Dawes at the Hotel Cafe, February 5, 2008

Braless Malibu
Bitches yap the whole show through
But Taylor is gold.

Dave Barnes at Safari Sam's, February 8, 2008

WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY?
I have to be polite though...
Georgia friends are fans.

Simon Dawes at the Hotel Cafe, February 12, 2008

Sixth time I've seen them
Blood and Guts ev'ry damn time
Best small band in town

Hayes Carll at the Hotel Cafe, February 13, 2008

Whiskey-soaked, he charmed
Espec'ly when he challenged
Jesus to a duel.

The Black Lips at the El Rey, February 14, 2008

Comical mustache
Crowd-surfers and stage-divers
Made me want to MOSH!

St. Vincent at the EchoPlex, February 15, 2008

She is damn cute, but
I love her because she shreds
LIKE A METALHEAD!!!

So coming up, we have got Glen Phillips, another Simon Dawes show, Built to Spill with the Meat Puppets, The Helio Sequence and Cat Power (and ideally I will be in attendance at all of these, but then again, I am damn broke). I guarantee at least one more haiku in the near future... oh, wait.... here it comes:

I hope these slaked your
Thirst for comedy - Haikus:
Never not funny.