just jump over the fence

(photos by Todd)

I feel better and maybe there'll be a few days off from tirades. The trigger to it all was that I finally felt the need to step in and refute the bullshit, one person at a time. Whether it was someone I work with, some former co-worker on Facebook, or dude on the street - I'm not will to stand about any longer. There. Done. Much more relaxed.

One of my favorite bands, the Waco Bros., stopped in for a layover in Arlington this afternoon (they played in Rehoboth Beach, DE last night and in Philly tomorrow) after calling ahead, getting some rental sound kit, and hopping our out of the Jeep at near 4pm. They ripped through about 90 minutes of all the greats and even mixed in some Neil Young, Clash, George Jones, and the Undertones. I've been waiting to see the Wacos for years and even though they pitched their gear on the small stage, quickly changed from driving shorts to long, fancy pants, and hopped on stage for a 10-minute soundcheck with 100 folks watching, they killed it today. If I were to compare these guys to the Hold Steady from last weekend (and I like the Hold Steady) there's no comparison; the pure rock of the Wacos may be incomparable. Every one of the guys is engaging, they have a huge catalog to work from, they go from off to on so very quickly and they never stop, and then they're off in the Jeep and headed for Philadelphia to continue the Bloodshot Records Anniversary tour. I couldn't be happier that they swung in, made some cash, and had me smiling the rest of the day. They're the kind that might knock on your garden gate, give it push, throw out some amps, and play loud enough to make the deck shake and the neighbors peep through the curtains and wonder. Well done. (I'm half-tempted to head back tonight to see their label mates, the Bottle Rockets, tear up the joint.) Sometimes a bit of loud will soothe the soul.