June 16, 2006
Click Click: Sonic Youth & Be Your Own Pet @ 9:30
Sonic Youth and their pet project (no pun intended) Be Your Own Pet played a day/night double header yesterday at the 9:30 Club that showcased two generations of bands on one stage. I was lucky enough to score tickets to the first show, which started around quarter 'til seven and was over before last night's Mavs / Heat tilt tipped off.
Despite seeing Sonic Youth numerous times over the years, mostly at fesitvals like Lollapalooza, a few Tibetan Freedom Concerts and maybe a Reading/Leeds, this was the first honest to goodness club show of theirs I can remember attending. The setlist (which is after the jump) consisted mostly of newer material culled from their latest record Rather Ripped (stream it), with a few old nuggets thrown in to satiate their mad-for-it fan base. Kim Gordon spent most of the show jumping around the middle of stage, no small feat in the heels she was wearing. Thurston Moore told the crowd it was "always nice to play a hardcore matinee in DC" and then regaled the crowd with tales from the band's breakfast at the Florida Avenue Grill. "The grits were...historical," he said wistfully. It was also nice to see bassist Mark Ibold, formerly of indie darlings Pavement, taking a break from his bartending duties at the Great Jones Cafe in New York City to play bass on this tour. Apparently I wasn't the only one that felt this way. You could hear the occasional shout of "Wowee Zowee" and "Summer Babe" inbetween songs. Rumor has it Bob Nastanovich and Steven Malkmus were in attendance last night, but I can't confirm it. Musically, the Youth are as tight as ever and even though they are getting older, they are also getting better. This show went along way in proving why the band are so revered and respected in the music community.
Photos by Kyle Gustafson
Youngsters Be Your Own Pet opened the show by literally running on stage and banging right into their first song, nary a "1,2,3,4" to be had. To call them a collective bundle of energy is a serious understatement. They played so fast and hard it was difficult to tell their songs apart, but they get an "A" for effort. They sound like a young Yeah Yeah Yeahs that haven't figured out that they'd make alot more money if they write tunes that sound like "Maps." This is a good thing. Their Sonic Youth influences were also readily apparent, so it's easy to understand why Moore signed them to his label Ecstatic Peace.
The good folks at NPR were nice enough to webcast both band's sets from last night's matinee show. You can listen to them here. NPR has also jumped into the Flickr game and has some great pictures from Joel at Kingpinphoto.
How was the later show? Did anyone go to both shows?
Sonic Youth
Jams
Pink Steam
Reena
Incinerate
Drunken
Lights Out
Do You Believe in Rapture?
Neutral
pch
Rats
100%
What A Waste
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Turquoise Boy
Or
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Shaking Hell
Be Your Own Pet
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The second set was great too. A little light on the older material but the band was solid as always. I wouldn't normally say something like this but I'm hoping this reaches the self-important nitwit who doesn't understand that it's not cool to talk during a show. Period. Seriously, no one cares how many times you saw Dead Kennedys and Fishbone and how you work on the hill and have multiple degrees. If you had actually been to half the shows you mentioned you'd have the decency to shut up when a band is playing.
byop is the most pre-fab group since the monkees. they'd be nothing if not for their parents' reputations and connections.
byop is the most pre-fab group since the monkees. they'd be nothing if not for their parents' reputations and connections.
nastanovich was definitely there but no malkmus to speak of
Talked to Nastovich and Ibold outside the club. Malkmus was not there. Bryon Coley was there.
i was at both shows, and the second was definitely better. it was just harder, louder, and more rowdy. lots of people were body surfing, onto the stage and then jumping off. several of those goofs hugged or touched Lee and Thurston. You know 930 has the security to keep those folks off the stage....that means SY told them it was cool.
The second (?) song was Sonic Nurse’s Pattern Recognition, and Kim rocked it out.
why is it that people like to slag a band when some of their parents were musicians themselves? it's ignorant to think that because someone made rock records in the 80's that they have "connections" in the 00's.
These guys put put their own music on their own label, the BBC started playing it, and pretty soon everyone wanted in.
I don't think they're the greatest band but I gotta give props to their totally diy route to where they got to.
erica b, i'm only specifically slagging byop's nepotistic success because there are lots of better acts (in nashville especially) that won't get the same shot that byop was born into. as to putting "their own music on their own label", it was one of the fathers of byop (bob orrall) who launched the label in the first place using his considerable influence (http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040913fa_fact) to generate thurston's interest.
erica b, i'm only specifically slagging byop's nepotistic success because there are lots of better acts (in nashville especially) that won't get the same shot that byop was born into. as to putting "their own music on their own label", it was one of the fathers of byop (bob orrall) who launched the label in the first place using his considerable influence (http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040913fa_fact) to garner thurston's interest.