...being the observations and navigational extracts
from the ongoing expeditions of San Francisco Piano Pop trio
True Margrit

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Opposite Band

Saturday August 7
We stop at Pea Soup Andersons on Highway 5. We get to SF around 7:00 pm. We sleep.

Sunday August 8
Off we go to Bottom of the Hill at the crack of noon. We meet the (MANY—it varies from show to show, but today they are ten) members of Family Crest. Family Crest plays first. They are VERY adept at what they do, which is definitely in the Arcade Fire kind of vein, but with more pop-soul-tinged vocal stylings, and more aggressively orchestral flavorings—and occasionally even embracing Gypsy-meets-Celtic-music-meets-chamber-music moments to keep the listeners guessing and wondering. And they are cute as buttons.

Next up is the worldwide premiere of our new music video, OPPOSITE MAN—directed by filmmakers, Sarah Dunham & Chelsea Walton. The screen goes up, Sarah pushes ‘play’, the video kicks in, and we are as excited as HELL to be sharing it with the folks here today. The video looks AMAZING—from the time-lapse, and tilt-shift, to the radiant saturated colors, to the wild glowing white grid backdrop—splendid! I’m so proud.

It really strikes me, upon seeing it on a biggish screen, how much Sarah and Chelsea totally nailed it—the video fits the song in this super-cool way. Multiplicity. Choices. The time lapsed/ tilt-shifted scenes of humanity moving through the cityscape convey that pseudo-brave shell of ironic distance that belies the vulnerability underneath. Don’t we all sometimes wish we were the opposite man? But as soon as you get the opposite of what you had, you want the NEW opposite, don’t you? That’s that fleeting myth embedded in an unreachable past in a hall of reflecting mirrors wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a sweater.

And the dog’s in the cradle, and the cat’s in the cupboard, and Bono’s in a villa, and the pea’s in the pod, and the butter’s on the table, and the bacon’s in the pan.

We leap into our set after the video, while on the floor a whole sassy dance-section forms and organizes some fancy moves custom-made on the spot for each tune--very amusing. We do some bangup versions of tunes from SEAWORTHY and THE JUGGLER’s PROGRESS, plus some newer ones: “Blazing Wheel”, “Obvious Solutions”, Superhero Drugs”, and “Comforting the Castaways”. All of these are on the docket to be recorded… and soon! And how!

In a blur our set is over and the final act , McCabe and Mrs Miller takes the stage. They are a super-duper-supergroup (each member being a big star in his/ or her own right) and show no mercy as they croon, roar, whisper, and scream, and pummel their instruments and vocal cords in the name of Sunday afternoon rocking. Very impressive, very cool— and it’s a great ending to a great day of music.

The bands’ gear is cleared and carried away to waiting vehicles, the final drinks are quaffed, farewells are made, and the last cars drive off. The night is young and there will be a variety of companionable gatherings with beverages and foods and all other manner of refreshments, but that part of our mission where we get up onstage and play for you nice people is completed (for now) and though it is sad it is over (for now) it is also satisfying to know in our guts, in our bones, and in our very cells that what we just accomplished was a summer tour well-done. North, south, east, and west, we chased the cardinal points to shows in Washington, Oregon, and California--playing at an organic farm, a burlesque show, a jazz club, a restaurant, a café, at big and wee nightclubs. We answered interview questions, we appeared on the radio, we traveled far, we drank beer.

We did our best to rock you.