metric, montreal and mayhem on a train

It has been a long ass week – I worked a ridiculous number of hours, and so I didn’t have much time for blogging. So, now I have to wrap up all my crazy stream of consciousness into one entry.

Metric played the Social on Thursday. It will go down as one of the best shows in Orlando all year, trust me. The Lovely Feathers opened, and from the moment they stepped on stage, I got a seriously goofy grin across my face that never left. The lead singer, who reminded me of a young Anthony Rapp, walked on stage in an orange cape. Yes, really. The bassist also sings and wears sweat pants that show off a little too much, if you know what I mean.


These kids from Montreal were incredible, and the crowd loved every minute of it. This was the opening band, and when they announced their final song, the crowd booed because they wanted more. Someone even screamed out, “Come back soon.”

I can’t really describe them, you just gotta listen. I bought their EP after the show, and it’s all I’m going to have until their new CD is released in April of next year.

Death from a Party was next. The lead singer frolicked around the stage like Mick Jagger, though he looked more like a slightly flamboyant Jarvis Cocker. The music was good and the band was fun to watch, but after The Lovely Feathers, the bar had been raised.

I can’t be sure because I still haven’t changed the batteries in my watch, but I think it was almost midnight before Metric came on. The show was sold out and there was a kind of electricity in the audience – you could just sense the anticipation. When Emily Haines stepped on stage, the crowd went crazy. And it was immediately obvious why. She looks fragile, but don’t be fooled; the girl kicks ass. She’s a waifish Debbie Harry with a knack for running in place with her knees up so high, you can see her black undies. She head banged and didn’t miss a keyboard stroke, she dove into the audience and crowd surfed, she set the tone for a show that far surpassed anything I would have imagined.

You can check out Metric (also from Montreal) at ilovemetric.com. They would be a perfect fit on the Coachella bill next year! Even better alongside The Lovely Feathers.

OK, random thought -- is "Montreal" Canadian for "hot indie music"? The Arcade Fire, Metric, The Lovely Feathers, STARS, Wolf Parade, et cetera, et cetera.

On Saturday, Brad and I returned to the Social for The Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans. Laissez les bon temps rouler!! The place was full of N’awlins lovers! Nine guys took the stage with three trumpets, three saxophones, two drummers and one big ass tuba. As soon as they blew the first brass note, the butts started wiggling. The show raised money for New Orleans Musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

It was so much fun – people were smiling, dancing and singing along. One of the guys asked if there was anyone in the crowd from New Orleans, and I shouted out with more than a dozen others.

“No way all you guys are all from New Orleans,” the guy said. “Let me see your American Red Cross cards. I need to see some FEMA numbers.” Sure enough, one woman went up with her card. I guess the rest of us were just nostalgic transplants. One woman even had a small black lacy umbrella like the ones Tom Benson used to boogie with after the Saints won in the Superdome.

The club kept the doors open throughout the show, which was great because I was sweating so bad I thought I be menopausal. The bad thing was that the band could not stop watching the people walk by outside. As Brad said, were we not enough?

Still, the essence of the Crescent City was alive and well on Orange Avenue that night. It all just felt good. There’s something about that music – it’s almost like you grow up and it’s a part of you that you never question or wonder when you first heard it because you grew up that way. It’s like eating seafood. I never thought it was gross to rip open the dead carcass of a crawfish and peel it open and eat its insides. I just knew it tasted good and it was fun because our whole family was enjoying it together.

You could see it on other people’s faces, too. There was no worry about losing your indie cred by looking uncool – everyone just let it all hang out.

As we left the Social, Brad and I got into huge traffic -- foot, train and automobile. The streets were overflowing with scantily clad football fans intown for the Florida Classic. It felt like the French Quarter on a Bayou Classic Weekend. There was a train completely stopped and blocking all traffic on the east side of I-4. As we sat in the car waiting for the choo-choo to start choo-chooing again, we noticed all these kids climbing onto the train between railway cars to cross the tracks. I was horrified. If the train would have started moving, they could have been thrown off and knocked under the train. A cop was standing 15 yards away, saw what was happening and didn't say a word until kids started to cross the tracks right in front of him. Those five were stopped, but the 30 crossing far enough away from him to have to actually move -- he didn't seem to care.

Next up, Tegan & Sara!