'West End' extravaganza

A short break from Music and Beyond took M and I to The Elmdale Tavern for another gig by The PepTides (of Jazzfest fame). Firstly, it was very refreshing for us Brits to find a 'pub' style bar venue, where one can buy a drink at the bar without getting funny looks. Big tick. We arrived earlier than the show start time, which turned out to be fortuitous, as the stage area had been rearranged to accommodate singers + band. Quite a few people were standing at the back by showtime. The whole place had been decked out in quirky vintage gear, from old radios lining the stage to bakelite-style telephones (the ones with a rotary dial - a real blast from the past).


The PepTides

The PepTides did not disappoint, earning raucous applause from the crowd. Having listened to FTHHHI (albeit only once - busy busy!) and now having seen them again, the structure of the songs and lyrics becomes clearer. You either 'hear' and boogie along without necessarily finding the deeper meaning of some lyrics, or 'listen' and understand more about the group as an 'art project' -akin to either hearing or listening to someone like Scissor Sisters or Pulp (I borrowed that phrase from an interview given to Tony Martins at Guerilla magazine).

M's take on the show (as he had not seen the JazzFest concert) was that the musical style of The PepTides was somehow 'transeclectic': hints of James Brown, Motown and blues rock with a twist of Buena Vista Social Club.


The excellent backing musicians

It is also refreshing to see a 'local' band with a solidly polished show. That goes for the singers and musicians - the 'backing band' behind The PepTides are themselves extremely good.

Methinks another trip to Compact Music may be due to find North Hero (simultaneously released with FTHHHI) and/or their 2007 release I'm A Spy.

A final note - the Glebe Business Improvement Area (BIA) is sponsoring the We Dig The Glebe promotion, where every purchase along the Glebe stretch of Bank Street makes you eligible for weekly prize draws.

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Pigeon Funk

Notes on a very random purchase. Earlier today I acquired Venetian Snares 'Rossz Csillag Alatt Sz ü letett ' purely on the basis of the language and artwork. Its certainly something different - and most definitely not pop. After a bit of searching: Venetial Snares is, according to Wikipedia, the performing name of Aaron Funk, who seems to specialise in experimental tracks in odd time signatures. Article here . The sleeve notes for this album (whose title is Hungarian for 'Born under a bad star') poses the question: what if, for just a day, we could both be pigeons? Interessant. Apparently this concept (a day in the life of a Hungarian pigeon) is non-typical of Venetian Snares sound, but one could ask, does Mr Funk do 'typical'? On first listening, the sound of this CD mixes classical/traditional Hungarian sounds and breakbeats. but aside from that? Definitely a 'listen for yourself' artist; try the website , fan site or myspace .

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Guitar week: Gitarrissima and Sean Shibe

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