SHiNDiG 2004: Night 4

So a week ago today was Night 4 of SHiNDiG. Tonight will be Night 5. If you haven’t come down to the Railway club to check it out, you should. Or don’t, but then me and all the other cool kids will snub you. And you don’t want to be snubbed, do you?

Night 4 was, I felt, somewhat weak. Opening was Mark of the Beats a one-man smorgasbord (sp?) of sound. I’m amazed that one person can produce such an inconsistent array of genres in such a short time, running from punk, to rap, to techno, etc. I’d like to say that I liked it, or that it was successful, but I’d be lying. The ideas are good, and might one day coalesce into something enjoyable, but it’s not there yet.

Philharmonic took up the middle set, and while, a week removed, I can’t remember why, I do remember really liking them. They seemed a collection of virtuoso musicians – the bassist in particular. I had a mental image, during their set, of the bassist as a Keith Richards, 15 years down the line – totally strung out, wasted, but still showing those occasional flashes of absolute brilliance that lead to albums like Exile on Main Street. Not that this band is the next Stones, but more that this one guy in particular is really, really good.

The Sore Throats closed the night, and well, is it better to say nothing than to be mean? Let’s try and couch this as constructive criticism: 1) Pop-punk is over. It was something of a travesty to begin with, and there’s no reason to keep it kicking. 2)Insulting your bandmates at all times, for everything, just makes you look like a jackass. 3)Loud is not the same as good. On the plus side, they all looked pretty good up there…

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