Last night the Social was taken over by the usual round of suspects; The mods, the skaters, the hippies, and those like me that fit somewhere in the midst of all the labels. My friend Joe had called to invite me to see The Walkmen play. At first I was a little reluctant. I had to work in the morning, I was getting sick and I had just sat down to eat my sushi platter. But somewhere between the California roll and the chocolate cake I decided to throw caution to the wind. I hadn’t been to a show in a while, and I had really wanted to see The Walkmen. Plus the ticket was free!
I met up with Joe and his new girlfriend downtown. It was my first meeting with the new “other” in Joe’s life, but she soon won me over with her exquisite taste in music. We sat around discussing upcoming shows and picking apart the mods incessant need to wear pants so tight you see the change in their pockets. I was yawning… Still tired from my 7am work day. Soon I found myself alone as Joe and his girl talked in that way super cute couples do. I looked around to see if there were any girls that I could pretend to want a super cute relationship with for the night, but few were found. As I skimmed the crowd one last time I heard a rumble of applause as the first band took to the stage.
They were called Strangers. A fitting title… A last minute replacement band (Vampire Weekend were unable to attend), Strangers are a local act that may take them selves a bit too seriously. They seemed to be striving to invoke The Doors musical genius, but fell far short. From the oil filtered spot light shining on a white bed sheet behind the drummer to the almost constant use of tambourine it was hard to miss the psychedelic overtones. Unfortunately Strangers appeared more like scared boys “about to go to Synagogue” (as Joe so pointedly put it) than rock gods. Check them out if you want something masquerading as inspired.
Next up was local favorite, Mumpsy. Made up of the remnants of the now defunct Heathens, I was hoping to hear something spectacular. Lead singer Jeff Ilgenfritz failed to disappoint. It was my first time hearing Mumpsy since they had fleshed out as a whole band. The sound was wonderful and the energy never lacking. The harmonies were at times off and there were a couple of songs where the bass was giving feedback, but they handled it with style. Bassist Phil Longo even joked that “no band really [needed] a bass player.” Oh, Phil! You would have won me over with your self-deprecation alone. Mumpsy is doing us all a favor by bringing integrity back to pop music.
Finally it was time for The Walkmen to take the stage. By this point it was midnight and I was due for some shut-eye. I had toyed with the thought of going home early, but I stuck around begrudgingly. As I lend against the railing, eyes drooping like a bugged out stoner I saw a very tall man wearing what can only be described as what your little brother would have worn to private school. I was sure all the smoke in the air had gotten to me. But as I looked at Joe I saw the same gaping expression that I knew lined my face. What I saw was real, The Walkmens lead singer was a schoolboy wanna-be.
Disappointed I immediately started to look for the best way out. The stairs were viable, but I would have to push through more people. Then… I heard it. That single sound that can take my breath away: A true performer. Hamilton Leithauser’s voice took over the entire room. He seemed to be bleeding the words onto the stage. His sound is reminiscent of Brian Johnson of AC/DC, but more melodic. I realized, I had a schoolgirl crush. A feat considering I’ve had more taco than you could shake a jalapeño at. But alas, I was putty in Hamilton’s hands.
None of the band over preformed. Instead, they let their music take center stage. This wasn’t a show for bells and whistles, or oil-filtered spotlights. This was just a band putting it all out there hoping you’d understand. I would love to pick out one beautiful moment to share, but in truth it is all a magical blur. All the songs blended together as I swayed back and forth. Then as soon as it began, it was over. The obligatory encore was had, though too short in this writer’s opinion. Everyone clapped, the band thanked the crowd, and I headed off into the cold night.
