Roadtrip: Sundance – Day 3 – Music Cafe
On Saturday, I decided to check out the offerings at the ASCAP Music Cafe. On the line-up were Sonos, Colin Devin, Sass Jordan, Adrian Younge & The Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra, Brendan Benson, and The Fray. Never heard of any of them except for The Fray, and personally, I don’t like them. Nevertheless, I waited in-line to enter the super cramped venue, which, unlike any good music venue, failed to reek of alcohol and sweat. Automatic downgrade. Also, no one was dancing. Downgrade again. Missing the first three bands, I entered near the end of Adrian Younge & The Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra’s set. Instantaneously, I was transported back to the 1970s, the era of blaxploitation films, listening to the smooth sounds of funk and soul music emanating from the stage. I watched as Younge, the composer and editor of Black Dynamite – a spoof on 1970’s blaxploitation films which premiered at last year’s Sundance – spearheaded the rest of the band, which looked and sounded the part.
More bands / videos after the jump…
Next up was Brendan Benson (of The Raconteurs). It consisted of the kind of trite, mass-produced bullshit you hear at a college frat party or something. Nothing original, just a series of regurgitated ballads, sung by a guy who looked like a grungier version of Pippin (played by Billy Boyd) from Lord of the Rings. You’re probably familiar with the catchy song, “What I’m Looking For”, featured in several advertising campaigns, including Apple’s iPod Touch. Hear more below.
Last up was The Fray. As I already made my feelings towards them clear, I’ll just post the clip. A very tall man was nice enough to help me record this video, which is why, unlike the others, the camera remains steady the entire time, and you don’t see lots of footage of the tops of heads. The downsides of being 5′4″ at a concert.
In between bands, I caught glimpses of Mary Lynn Rajskub (24 and more notably, “Gail the Snail” from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Chet from last season’s Real World: Brooklyn, and Brandon Boyd of Incubus. Although this was the only day I attended the Music Cafe, I hope next years ASCAP will consider featuring more progressive talent.
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