The night started with an impromptu music discussion at a local hole-in-the-wall diner between myself and Mike...the night ended with a flat-out great rock'n'roll show. The specifics go a little something like this...I'm kicking it after work, just chillin out, maxin, relaxin all coo...wait, that's a song.

So I walk in from a long, hard day of sitting in front of a computer screen containing nothing more than an AIX terminal and a spreadsheet, when low and behold...Mike messages me. He was all, "Dude, what are you doing tonight?" And I was all, "Not a whole helluva lot...wanna go grab some coffee with me?" Then he was all, "Yeah, I'll be there in about an hour." The plans were made...a night of catching up and arguing about my 10 worst and 30 best, a fun night in and of itself.

This leads to that, that leads to this, and we decide to go hit Good Records because they're open until midnight and I've never been there. We hop in the g-ride and head our happy asses on down to wherever this place is, only to find out that they've closed up shop for the night. Mike makes the very astute observation that it's the first Friday of the month...and we all know what that means. That's right...Deep Friday! The Deathray Davies were mentioned and we were all about seeing them for the umpteenth time (fortunately for us, I remembered that they were playing at Club Clearview). We make a quick trip up the road, park the aforementioned g-ride and get our stroll on towards the club. What awaits us on the marquee? None other than two of the best rock bands in the world...Sub Pop stable member Vue (pronounced view)...and one of my more recent addictions, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (who I will just call BRMC for the duration...points to anyone who can tell me what movie they lifted their band name from). (note: there was a fourth band who opened-opened, but we didn't make it in time to catch them, and getting their name out of the crowd proved to be an imposibility...as did other things.)

BRMC may have been headlining, but this was a release party for DRD, as they have just dropped a new 7" called "They Stuck Me In A Box In The Ground Pt.3" (available on Has Anyone Ever Told You? Records...this was mentioned on punknews here). They opened the portion of the show we caught and treated the rather large crowd to a raucous set that included such personal favorites of mine as "I Put Opium In The Food", "Jack Never Crashes" and "Clever Found a Name" (don't quote me on that last one, though). I would know precisely what was played, but someone beat Mike and I to the setlist and refused to share with us (we were told he writes for something important). I would also know precisely what was played if I were any good at differenciating between songs...but let's face it, I'm a drunk and a moron, so that's not going to happen. All in all, DRD got in 6 to 8 songs (again, I blame sheer idiocy for not having an exact number...and also people forgetting what they were taught in kindergarten), and they were as full-force-fun as ever...this is one of the few bands in the world that can actually get me to smile and move during their set, and this was one of the better ones that I've played witness to.

Next up we had Vue. I've been a semi-fan of these guys (and a girl) ever since I ran across their track "Child For You" on the Sub Pop site. The best way I can think of describing this band to those who've never heard them is this: picture the Rolling Stones or the Who back in the late sixties/early seventies, now picture them as being an American band from San Francisco (of course, I could make a bad Altamont reference here...but who really wants to discuss that?)...that's Vue. They come out with loud guitars, some syrupy bass, tight drums, rock solid vocals and some neato keyboarding...and they do it all very well. Sadly, they were limited to just three songs due to time constraints and travel problems...but with their shortened set they reached back and delivered an amazing performance (despite Rex's having to ditch his guitar after the first song thanks some some weird popping feedback that was emanating from his tool of the trade). Fortunately for me I got to hear "Child For You" and "White Traffic", which are mainstays on my playlist. Short, sweet and to the point...that's the way it should be.

Rounding out the evening of rock'n'Shiner was BRMC...perhaps the best three-piece going in music right now. Dark, hard and edgy...these adjectives work well in describing both the lyrics and the music (which was pouding enough to give me a severe headache, but that might also be the beer). They got things started with the thick bass-line of "Red Eyes and Tears" which really sets the tone for what one should expect from BRMC...heavy, affected songs that grab hold of whomever might be listening and actually forces them to sway from side to side, bobbing their head all the while. "Whatever Happened To My Rock and Roll" pretty much sums up the feel of the evening...rock's not dead, it's just been pushed to the side and is hiding in the shadow created by all that hip hop and pop junk. We also got a taste of BRMC doing their part to "Spread The Love" (damn I'm witty). The highlight for me, however, was "White Palms", which has a kind of questioning Christianity vibe to me, what with lyrics like "Jesus when ya comin back? Jesus never comin back, Jesus won't take it back. Jesus never comin home." See...if goth bands wrote shit like this, they'd probably be more valid as musicians...but I guess this stuff is just too 'simple' and 'accessible' for them. We didn't have the chance to finish out their portion of the show due to the next days business for Mike and myself, but what we saw, we liked...and that's what matters most.

Two friends meet for coffee. Two friends go for a drive. Two friends end up attending one of the better shows of the year on a whim. You just can't beat great rock music (be it sixties-infused psuedo-surf rock, old-school Stones-with-an-edge rock or even *gasp* stripped down, no-frills rock) and a good friend. If you ever get the chance to see even just one of these bands...take it...if you're a fan of good, tightly wound rock, you'll thank yourself for going out on a limb.

Check back monday for my version of the news (as posted by Mike, thanks to the wonders of email). Hit the site later this week for a review of some sort (yes, I am a liar). And wish me luck with the move. Also, disregard any spelling mistakes...I've just suffered through a format and have lost my spell-check prog.