Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Thee Oh Sees Played Warsaw with The Flying Luttenbachers and Landed, 10/19/18

Thee Oh Sees' John Dwyer by Rose Lamela

A Long-Awaited Show

Words and Pictures by Rose Lamela

[CoolDad Note: I want to say, if I haven't said it before, that the input we've been receiving from our contributors this year has been a huge help and inspiration to me. I held very tightly for a long time to the idea that this site was mine and mine alone, and that worked for a time. But life happens. Things ebb and flow. Without Rosi, Henry, Matt, Ken, and anyone else who's contributed here this site would be a very different and, sometimes, very barren place. Through her last couple of posts, Rosi has reminded me of some of the enthusiasm that I used to -- and still occasionally, but less frequently do -- bring to my posts. I've personally enjoyed that a lot, and I hope you have, too. That's all.]

It was a freezing cold afternoon in February earlier this year, and I was looking for shows to go to that could warm up my spirit. I was about a month in as a contributor at this super awesome music blog and a newly-born indie music fan. I had been listening to Thee Oh Sees nonstop and could not find a song I didn't like. Their albums were blasting out my car for most of 2017. "The Dream" was on all my road trip playlists and Orc was my favorite album.

I got a notification that the Thee Oh Sees, Or Oh Sees, or I keep getting incredibly confused Sees was playing in BK. I was told to call them "A band John Dwyer is currently in that absolutely rocks." The problem was I had to wait till October. That felt like a very, very, very long time.

Fast-forward a million miles per second, and here we are. It's October and I couldn't piece my thoughts together before the show last Friday. We, unfortunately, could not get a press pass' but I brought a point and shoot camera and was able to get a few shots. It was my first time to Warsaw. I had heard a lot about it, but I was unaware of how much character came with this auditorium. I have a soft spot for old venues that have a theatre climate to them.

The Flying Luttenbachers opened the show. At first I didn't quite understand what was happening. It sounded to me like a noisy jazz nightmare. Each member was on their own tangent and no one was playing together. I was at the point of complete rejection until their tangent consisted of a pretty kick-ass drum beat. It started to make sense to me, and I found myself understanding. I wouldn't call them traditional by any means but amazingly original. Whatever they were doing, the audience totally dug it.

The Flying Luttenbachers
The Flying Luttenbachers
The Flying Luttenbachers

Landed took the stage next. I met a very nice photographer for the band that told me they were from Providence, RI. We geeked out about our cameras and talked about John Dwyer. I later found out that Dwyer was a band member of Landed in the late 90s, and the lead singer apparently lit himself on fire once. I do think pyrotechnics would go very well with this band. I have never been to Providence, but it sounds like I need to go check out this righteous city where this band and Dwyer were born.

Landed
Landed
Landed

And then it happened. I got completely slammed into the guardrail in front of me. I took a couple of deep breaths and realized I was at the show I been waiting for since the winter. Coincidentally, they started their set with Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive." I'm not sure if you read my post about Ulrika Spacek, but I wrote that before the Oh Sees show. I swear!!!

Thee Oh Sees
Thee Oh Sees
Thee Oh Sees

I stuck out the body slamming and close calls of getting kicked in the face for a few songs, and then Imade my way to the back. I feel very lucky I got the opportunity to hear "The Dream" up close and within Dwyer's spit path. The rest of the show had to be experienced in the back of Warsaw, but thanks to the venue's amazing acoustics, it was not a problem. Watching the synchronized drumming of Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone was an experience that I cannot compare to any show I have ever seen. They positioned both drummers super close together giving the audience a visual of two drumming machines seamlessly imitating each other's every move. They played well into midnight and their set list included songs like "The Static God" and "Nite Expo" from Orc. They also played "Sentient Oona" from Smote Reverser which is a song I've been playing a lot when I need a boost from the mundane.

Thee Oh Sees

As the year gets closer to being wrapped up, I am feeling the hints of gratitude that come from the shows I have had the opportunity to see in 2018. Thee Oh Sees were worth the wait and have officially made my list of best shows I have seen this year. My taste in music has developed, and being open to indie rock has allowed the aging process to go particularly well. Of course that is my opinion, as I always think I have the best taste in music. Live with it and rock on!!

Make sure to head over to Rosi's Flickr account to see all of her photos.

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