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8/18/2003

EAR PLUGS
Saturday we hit Echo Lounge around 10 for the second Elvis Death Day
show, only to find a long line stretching down the block since they
hadn't yet wrapped up the early show just yet.
But soon the doors opened and a few people wandered out, allowing the
line to start in. Unfortunately they didn't clear out the early birds
so the room was packed before half the line got in the door.
Fortunately I don't mind a crowd so we elbowed our way into the room
and enjoyed the opening act, The Dames Aflame. The girls did some
dance numbers in hilarious costumes, including a large number of
Elvis movie tunes in their acts. It was a pretty good show, but with
the label "burlesque" you expect more flashes of flesh. But in place
of excess titillation we got a good dose of humor.
Ted Weldon, former lead singer of Truckadelic and Star Bar regular,
MC'ed the event with plenty of jokes and wry smiles. He was joined on
stage by other Star Bar regulars, Mike Geier, Billy Ratt, and John
McLean, as "The Drunkenaires," a reference to the gospel group, The
Jordanaires, which whom Elvis used to sing. They performed a couple
of gospel numbers in between Dames' acts with only a few fumbles.
During the break before the headline act, I wove my way up to the
edge of the stage. It wasn't hard because the place was so fucking
incredibly hot that everyone was positively slippery and nobody
wanted to touch anyone.
Kingsized came on with the usual Elvis fanfare and did the usual
Vegas-era set with a few surprises and random go-go dancing by
various Dames Aflame. Mike was backed up by a cute little girl that
added the perfect soft counter to Mike's booming vocals. Horns
blared, the bass thumped, and everyone sang and sweated along to
every tune. Within minutes Mike was sweating through his sportcoat
and every hand gesture flung sweat out into the crowd, but nobody
seemed to mind. People will put up with a lot for a celebration of
Elvis and/or death.
The band wrapped up a long set and much of the crowd beat a retreat
but only a minute later Kingsized returned and did another few tunes,
including Viva Las Vegas, a song that I can't help but hear as "Viva
Valdosta" after the Diggers version on the Bubbapalooza CD. The Dames
all poured onstage to give it even more of a Vegas stage show feel.
Despite the crowd's yells for more, it was apparently all they had
after the second set so we slid out the door and the 80 degree air
felt like ice by comparison to the sauna inside. A hot show indeed!
I took a buttload of pictures and I've got a couple hundred from
other recent shows I need to sort out so look for a big update to the
Ear Plugs gallery coming soon!

Meanwhile, here's a report from degenerate MB:
Monday night at the Earl was a great night of country lament and to top it off, The Earl guys gave it to us for free! Amy Pike opened up with her Last Cold Beer entourage (sp?) and amazingly always puts a smile on my face! The second act was a lonely acoustic dude, Josh Plunkit???? Don't really know him...I'll give him credit - it's hard to do solo acoustic music in ANY bar (other that Eddie's Attic) and maintain a crowd, let alone a quiet one. We opted for the front bar to talk and get semi-rowdy before the header came
on: Miss Elani Mendell (I can't spell for shit) - well, she played many of her killer, heart wrenching black-satire-esque croons, but also served up a fine dish of pieces from her latest CD, "Songs for the Country Lover".....including a Merle Haggard cover that had me going....but I tell ya, the stand-up bass guy blew all of us away....it was fragile wailing, but with a gut-wrenching power that put all of us in our place. I dug it. FYI - I think The Earl is starting to book some fine music on Monday nights and no cover - so, if yer lookin for some cheap entertainment, that's the night to go!


BLASPHEMY
Courtesy of degenerate JH comes a couple of anti-facist stories, some
of which you may have already read in the Loafing:

a group that "espouses physical force as a
means of change."

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. --Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence.

Perhaps it is time. Rumsfeld, Cheney, et al. won't take it lying down, believe me, so we might have to be marched off to jail en masse before there is enough momentum to overthrow this despotic government. don't know if you read the CL story and follow-up (it may have been dropped in favor of the more important ads) about the guy who got a visit from the FBI for reading a column from Hal Crowther at the Charlotte CL.

http://www.atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-07-17/rant.html
http://www.atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-07-31/rant.html

i like how Crowther describes the FBI, not as jack-booted thugs, but as they were in this instance, "bruisers in cargo shorts."

Another drug war absurdity - this is similar to the story of the man
who sold grow lights that ran in CL: http://reason.com/9505/JACOB.may.shtml
(it's long, but pretty interesting)

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