Hole in the Wall Saturday

I've seen a Leatherbag video on ME so I went to go see them at The Hole in the Wall Saturday night. I hadn't been there in awhile and since I've been there they've decided to move the stage from the front room to the back room. There is a little more room in the back so I guess that's a good idea. However, the way they had the chairs and tables set up discouraged people from standing in front of the stage, because it would block the view of all the lazy bastards who were sitting down.

The band started late they said, which is good because they were just starting to play when I got there. In addition to the usual stuff (guitar, bass, drums, nord electro 2), they had a violin player who also played a Hohner Pianet, an instrument I don't think I've ever seen before. I'm not sure what the band lineup really is cause I guess they joined up with Golden Bear for this set. The lead singer broke a string and was able to borrow a guitar from the previous band. He is a tall gangly looking guy who hunched over the microphone--it looked a little uncomfortable, actually. Their music had a lot of choppy pound on the keyboard quarter note kinda stuff, but their video song (which they played last) is all guitar. I'm going to use that song in a mash-up I've been working on. I could probably post it now but I'm going to tweak it for another hour or two. So, you may hear it later this week.

Chris Brecht was the last band. While I only intended on staying for a few songs since I was tired from earlier drinking and eating (thanks TJ that sushi was great!), it was just the right mix of not too slow soft acoustic stuff to fit my mellow mood. So, I stayed for the whole set. They had acoustic guitar, drums, bass, and accordion/toy piano. The toy piano was really hard to hear, and every time he played it I looked up to the sound guy to see if he was paying attention, and every single time I looked he wasn't looking at the stage but talking to a girl instead. The band complained at one point about not being able to hear it through the monitors. Maybe the sound guy fixed that, but the PA mix still could've used some more. At least the sound guy can dance to the beat I noticed, as he and the girl danced to a few songs late in the set. The previous two-stepping couple were completely off tempo--hard to watch. They played some Dylan tune I didn't know, and I noticed that harmonica harness technology has advanced in the last fifteen years, as the one he used was much smaller and less noticeable than the one I have.