Cash for Clunkers...Another sunny day in the neighborhood, another day for driving down the pristine East State Street to see the Cash for Clunkers cars yet again adorned so gracefully in Farmer's Refuse dumpsters.
Tonight I went to go see a band called The Back Pockets. Overall, I thought they were pretty cool and I enjoyed the energy they exuded -- somehow I left there feeling that all that they did made everything seem (momentarily) okay. At first listen, though, I could hear and see all of the hipster red flags go up -- they were playing one of those mouth melodicas (1), they were jumping around the stage like members of the Arcade Fire (2), they were all dressed in homespun costumes and makeup, looking like characters from Where the Wild Things Are (3), and furthermore, they made Where the Wild Things Are-like yelps in between their songs.
Speaking of Where the Wild Things Are, there is a patently cool film adaptation of the book coming out on October 16 (or is it the 17?) directed by Spike Jonze. In the trailer, there are several vignettes (accompanied by a spliced version of Arcade Fire's Wake Up) that seem like they are particularly tailored to most of us Indie Rock (with capital I's and R's) kids out there and has further demonstrated the latest example of marketing genius. Chances are, most people who read that book (and still appreciate it) were slightly left of center kids who are now slightly left-of-center adults just waiting for a new great Indie film to come out. The Arcade Fire song just reinforces the whole damn thing and it's no surprise that the trailer evokes goose bumps all around. I guess what I am saying is that I am utterly excited about the whole thing, despite the fact that I am very conscious of the film's conspicuous marketing ploy.
Back to the concert. It was nice. I guess what did it for me was just the enthusiasm and exuberance that The Back Pockets showed. Sure, some of the stage presence seemed borrowed (if not taken) from groups like the Arcade Fire, CocoRosie, or whoever, but the songs really stood up on their own and their performance was unique. In between some of their songs, they had a shadow puppet interlude that was pretty imaginative. I couldn't tell if their reference to The Rabbit of the Universe was some sort of Donnie Darko parody, sincere reference, or absolute coincidence. Either way, I sat there feeling a little baffled. Their shadow puppet show consisted of them setting up a white blanket while two of the band members depicted actions that the lead singer narrated on the microphone. I really hadn't seen anything like it in the house-show setting and it was quite memorable because it was sort of wandering into the realm of performance art and theater. Maybe it wasn't brilliant art or theater but it did make a lasting (and pleasing) impact. Bravo Back Pockets!
It was also nice to see Leo, Box, and some other familiar faces that I hadn't seen in a while. I feel that I wish I could see more of people that I have sort of lost touch with in some way or another but I don't feel guilty about it. I have been so busy. I hope there will be time to meet up soon with some old friends.
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