Future Islands Double Feature with Naps and Ed Schrader's Music Beat -- King's - March 3 & 4

I am completely incapable of casualness. I cannot have casual friendships, casual dating, casual sex, casual interest in artistic distractions. I must have my entire heart invested or I have no reaction. So let it be with music. I must be moved. I must have at least one mystical moment with a song or artist or i cannot invest my heart or time. This is the most important thing you must understand about me; i have no gray areas.

When I think back on my most magical musical moments, the moments that I can absolutely without hesitation confirm that changed my life, I realize there are some pretty intense events on the list:
1) the first time I saw U2 live; march 7, 1992 in Hampton , Virginia... the moment i realized i was, in fact, in the same room with Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry. The Hallelujah chorus at the end of "Running to Stand Still." - probably the most religious moment of my entire life.
2) the first road trip i ever took to see a then barely moderately famous band. A coworker, my boyfriend at the time and I drove from Raleigh to Richmond, Virginia to see Soul Coughing in 1996.
3) The first time i heard Daft Punk's "Rollin' and Scratchin'."
4) Even though I had seen them what feels like one hundred times; one of the last times I saw Trans Am live at the old King's, right after Red Line was released. Phil broke a string on his guitar... Rather than pausing and stopping the song ("Play in the summer") Nate and Seb continued with drums and bass only for what seemed 5 or 10 minutes while Phil ran off stage to change the string. I fell into a trance like I was Lucy listening to Mr Tumnus playing the pan flute. Sometimes when i listen to that song now, I wonder if my whole life is a total Jacob's Ladder moment and I am somehow still standing in front of that speaker.
5) Finding myself lost in the frenzy of a Future Islands show at the Local 506 with my best friend. Although I had seen them before, there was some sort of magic at this show that caused me to mystically connect with the band. I remember walking out of that show feeling high.

Some of us are lucky; we figure out what makes us happiest and we get to do it whenever we want. You might really like washing dishes - lucky you! you get to do this every day! You might really be into snowboarding; too bad you can only do this once in a while, but you get to do it, hey! Me? I figured out the one thing that will never let me down, that will always make me happiest; standing probably too close to a gigantic speaker at a decently sized venue and seeing a band I respect and adore.

I had every intention of writing a really fun, quippy, quick review about this two night double feature show. Maybe I waited too long and thought about it too much, maybe this is a good thing, but here I am and I got way too deep about it. The more I think about these shows and how intensely good they were, the more I think that something trite and silly would do a disservice to the experience. And these two nights were some pretty heavy experiences.

I bought tickets for both nights as soon as they went on sale, I know what's up when Future Islands plays in the triangle. We are cuckoo for these guys around here; they always sell out. I took Friday off because I knew I was going to be getting wild on Thursday night. I was with Roo and James R, we ran into a thousand people we knew, of course. Thursday night was a different world from Friday. Here is my theory: Thursday was the hardcore locals. Friday had a bunch of kids driving in from out of town who probably don't know how to react to the wildness of a the Raleigh crowd. This is one of my major complaints about Cat's Cradle and other such Durham or Chapel Hill venues... there is such an unspoken code of conduct that keeps people tame in carrboro. There are so many bands I have seen at Cats cradle where the crowd barely bobs their heads and the same acts in Raleigh results in blood loss and frenzy. Is Raleigh Rowdy? yes. We are hoodlums and drunks and rude boys and by god we have no code of conduct. (this is why Hopscotch was such a success, I believe. Hopscotch in Durham or something would have never worked. Raleigh gets Rowdy... Raleigh don't care.)

Naps first. Look, I'm not even sure I've ever "reviewed" naps or if i have intentionally left them off; this goes back to my inability to have a casual relationship with a band; Naps I have simply tuned out. They have somehow managed to be on the bill almost every week for a show I'm going to see. It features members of other bands I wind up seeing a lot as well (Lonnie Walker and Annuals) so I am always confused when what starts coming out of the speakers is something that makes me instantly walk downstairs to Neps like a bored zombie. I don't hate Naps, I just literally have nothing to say about them. Does that suck? I feel bad saying it, but I really like Lonnie Walker and Annuals, I just don't get Naps and I really don't get why or how a band so low on the energy scale got put on this bill.  The second night we didn't even bother going up until we knew for sure they were done. sigh.

Ed Shrader's Music Beat: now THAT'S what I'm talking about!!!! I ran into Sam earlier in the day Thursday and he raved and raved about these guys. He told me numerous times that he was so impressed by and drawn to their intensity. for Sam Herring to rave about someone else's intensity, I could not resist this. the first song or two of ESMB was another one of those "oh holy god, genius before me!" moments... I was so bafflingly impressed by what was happening in front of me that for the first time since beginning this review-venture I took my phone out of my pocket and attempted to "take notes" ...These are my notes, because i was too mesmerized to write more:
"OH FUCKING INTENSE. Minimalist? Art for Art's sake. all things I love. amazing! how much passion can you express with the least effort? intense!!!!!!"

That was the best i could do because I was literally so stunned and must have looked like a kook. I was kinda standing there with this shit eating grin, staring like I was watching a childbirth. The concept: Ed is standing center stage with a floor tom; guy named Devlin is standing to his right playing bass. The songs might be about 45 seconds long and just Ed Schrader screaming the same line over and over, or it might be a little longer and more melodic. The whole experience was pretty much a "seeing the light" experience for me. In my own band, I keep pushing the whole "art for art's sake" perspective; If you believe strongly enough that something sounds good, it will sound good. It's not about perfection, It's about passion. ESMB nailed this shit for me. It was like a sign from God telling me I was on the right 'artistic' path because look at the glory that can occur when you follow your heart. I loved Ed Schrader. (I loved Ed Schrader even more when he took his shirt off but I'm a dirty old lady.) I was really psyched to see them the second night, just to see if I was right; I was right. Just as good if not better the second night. Roo even kinda got into it a little on Friday night, when the night before I know he didn't get it. I have a feeling ESMB is one of those bands you have to get or you don't. I got it. (EDIT: Roo just texted me and told me to edit out that "kinda got into it"... he denies this but i maintain my perspective of seeing his head bobbing... THERE WAS HEAD BOBBING and I'm almost sure I heard him say "this doesn't suck as much as last night." I'm counting that as "getting into it a little" - read below for his true opinion - Friday night certainly wasn't my most coherent evening, it is entirely possible I'm making this all up.)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the main event: Future Islands. My god if you haven't seen Future Islands live, I am so mad at you. Why? Do you not believe in having fun and being penetrated in every orifice by magical music and wildly intense energy? Are you one of those non-fun having types? Do you hate art? No, you are not any of these things, you are just lazy, or maybe you didn't know. that's why you have me here to help you. I am here to guide you to the right experiences in life; i follow the gypsy music magic to the very best shows. keep an eye on my show calendar over there; I won't let you down. You should have followed my ass like the Pied Piper to King's for these two nights. There is nothing... NOTHING... like a Future Islands show.

You can listen to FI in the car, all alone, once you have seen them live and you will find yourself punching the air and making over dramatic faces at the cars around you, pulling your shirt and acting like you're falling over dead, pleading to the air. This is the effect seeing Sam go wild will have on you forever. It is impossible for me to listen to An Apology without going ballistic, I know better to listen to it in quiet public places or at my desk at work. I know what this music brings out in me. I am a passion junky - Future Islands is fueled by straight raw, bloody emotion set to the funkiest beats on the planet. There is some sort of animalistic draw to Sam. You see him, you want to go wild for him. You want him to know you feel it. You understand that pain and passion and love - you need him to know you appreciate it. Or hey, I do at least. Is it just me?

I thrive on irony, I dig on contradiciton, I love incongruity. I get excited when i get confused, I feel elation at epiphanies, I love suddenly realizing that someone or something is not even close to the thing or person I assumed that they were. I relish in the mysteries of life, I love surprises and I love that I have somehow managed to retain my childlike sense of wonder in life. And I very much love finding and recognizing this trait in others... and I am very specifically speaking of Sam Herring here. through a series of being in the right place at the right time, having the right friends of friends I have somehow gotten to know him a call him a friend.  On paper, on the surface, it would be easy to watch Sam in his Phantom of the Opera-ish frenzy and listen to the lyrics and write it all off as an act; this is what i love... It's not. There really is that much love, passion, drama and heartbreak in this man. You get close enough to the stage and it will penetrate into you. You have one conversation with him away from the noise and you will see it in his eyes. There really is that MUCH in one person. Sam makes me feel a little less crazy about being so crazy. Sam Herring is living art, he is a truly beautiful person.

night one: Wild. An absolute Frenzy. Several Stage crashes, bruises and backaches from dancing so hard. Touching and licking sweat, worshiping at the altar of passion. Here is the thing, if you've only heard the music and not seen the live show, you're only getting half the picture. You have to see Future Islands live... you simply must. You will be very best friends with everyone around you by the end of the show, you will fall into a trance. You will move and scream and dance so much you will feel lost in time. Thursday night, as I said before, was the hardcore locals... we lost our god damned minds.

night two: tame by comparison, but just as good. I had so many facepalm moments this night, however. Roo had a bit of quasi-personal drama so we hit it hard and we hit it early, starting with tequila shots at Mecca, pre-show. It started wild and only got wilder... for us... But the crowd was off. I was, of course, down front and center, ignoring anything that wasn't 100% intense. At the announcement of the "last song", I of course made an effort to organize a stagecrash, which didnt happen and resulted in just myself on stage, looking foolish but not really caring. (drunk.) I apparently did at one point get on stage with a big crew, as there is photographic evidence, but not one of my classiest evenings.

*facepalm*facepalm*facepalm*facepalm*

I'm trailing off here because I feel like this is entirely too long and perhaps too personal, so I'm going to leave you with the Roo-view. We decided to have a "versus" this time because we differed so much on Ed Schrader and we completely lost each other the first night and had semi-diffrerent experiences...


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you've read Karla's point of view on the Future Islands shows (3/3/11 and 3/4/11) I'll share with you the correct point of view. That's right sass-a-frass, it's on bitty. This our first vs. blog and we're fighting dirty. Fair warning, if you want to hear something positive skip down to the section about Future Islands.

Naps:
First, let me state that Naps needs to immediately disband so the members can focus on their current (and much better) musical endeavors and so not to discredit the rest of their musical careers. That's simply as straight forward as I can be. I'm not intentionally being mean. I am intentionally being honest. I like the other musical ventures of the members and I know that they are talented musicians. Honestly, I believe that. If you're in Naps and reading this please don't scream at me in public. I'm merely stating an opinion, and asking you to knock it off right away.

The problem is that Naps is so well connected within the music scene of Raleigh that they keep being billed to play with bands I have paid to see. I have seen them upwards of about 5 or 6 times, but I have never enjoyed them. Ever. They are slow and droning. Their vocals are mundane and monotone. There is no energy to their sets at all (with the exception of Brian Corum who almost always gives a good show). The lead stands cemented in place with a blank look on his face and mumbles, literally mumbles. The lyrics may be deeply inspired, but I honestly cannot tell. I have never made any of them out. I’ve also never been able to tell a difference between any of their songs. That is a problem given how many times I have seen them.

The following is an actual conversation I had at the show.
Jim: They seem a bit sleepy and too low key.
Me: I’ve seen Naps several times and haven’t ever liked them.
Jim: Their name is Maps, right?
Me: No, it’s Naps.
Jim: Oh, well then they nailed it.

I heard several comments from people I didn’t know talking about the band in this fashion. Again I revert to my first sentence. That wasn't just bitchy flair. It’s honesty. I really think these talented musicians are doing themselves damage by being affiliated with Naps.

The second night we went to Mecca instead of Kings for their set. I will say I enjoyed their set the second night in this fashion.

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat:

My friend Jessie’s friend Allison stated, “I suppose if you start off screaming then everyone will appreciate it when you start singing even if you aren’t any good.” This is the most apt comment I heard to describe them. The audience seemed genuinely split over this band. Karla’s opinion is wrong and I am on the other side…the side that didn’t enjoy them. I will say that either they were a bit better the second night or I knew better what to expect enough so that I didn’t hate the oppression of sound. Of course, they were built up a bit which allows for farther to fall. Karla and I saw Sam from Future Islands downstairs at Neptune’s Parlor before the show on Thursday and he described them as “one of the most intense acts (he) has ever seen” to Karla. At first I took this to mean they were good. Later I realized he simply stated the obvious. They are very intense.

Basically, they are two guys, one on a tom drum and the other on electric bass. The first guy screams the same sentence over and over a lot for about 45 seconds until he sings two or three lines. The end. If you like punk music you might like these guys. Then again you might not. They really aren’t very good. I mean, I feel like I would have appreciated them (not “liked” them, but “appreciated” them) if they were performing at an art gallery of some sort. I, however, was at a Future Islands show and had just suffered through Naps (also a possible reason they might have been better the second night). I will say that he had a lot of witty banter that I enjoyed during the Friday show. That was nice.

Future Islands:

I honestly just don’t know what to say about Future Islands other than that I will be really sad when they get to be such a huge act that I can’t be front and center dancing and sweating with the rest of my beloved city two nights in a row at a small rock club. That day is coming. I know. I’ve seen Shameless. They are due their success though and I won’t begrudge them that victory. At least they feel connected to Raleigh in special ways it seems, so we’ll probably get the personal treatment far longer than most cities.

If you haven’t ever been to a FI show…go. If you’ve been to a FI show and didn’t get to the throbbing masses of adoring fans in the front…shame on you. If you got to the throbbing masses in the front and just stood there behind your girlfriend while everyone around you undulated with an uncontrollably intense force… you were the guy in front of me for the majority of the show Friday and I hope your ribs hurt where I accidentally elbowed you so as to remind you of your inappropriate behavior. It wasn’t on purpose, but I don’t feel bad. You should have been dancing.

I will say that despite the sleepy lead in of Naps and the abrasive nature of Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Future Islands still automatically brought a level of energy unparalleled at most shows by most bands. Raleigh was a little more amped up the first night for whatever reason, but FI held their own.

Good job guys. Come back soon.
---------------------------

Here is a view of YOU from the stage.

Here are other people's pictures from the second night because i totally forgot my camera.