beng beng beng

if you know me at all you know that while i enjoy a nice show every now and then, the thought of going to a crowded venue to stand and look at the stage and nod my head is not my idea of a good time. at least not that often- there are exceptions to this rule...

you should also know im musically illiterate. im not one of those people who can talk intelligently about good or bad music. i have paris hilton's version of "stars are blind" on my ZUNE! right next to the mountain goats. and i am not ashamed to say i like them both.

so you can imagine how i felt when jason told me about this guy i hadnt heard of and his band playing at the showbox. >>>insert eye roll and yawn<<<

for starters no one in seattle dances. i hate this fact. apparently the hipster movement grabbed an entire city by the balls and told it that its just not cool to move anything more than neck muscles. maybe its because the skinny jeans are restrictive. chucks dont offer arch support? i dont know.

secondly i knew i was going to be sober thanks to a weeks worth of antibiotics. both my pharmacist (i say it like we have one of those close relationships you see on tv- the one where they will come to my house and cut my pills for me) and my doctor took the time to seriously warn me that ANY drinking would make me feel awful and could lead to heart problems (and again, if you know me, you know my anxiety is acutely focused on the well-being of my heart).

thirdly i am fighting a head cold, or a really obnoxious sinus problem. either way, it leaves me feeling pretty cruddy and tired. (im also not sure if im tired bc my friend, the pharmacist told me the medicine might do that to me, or if im tired bc im run down. im easily swayed by professional opinions).

well, add all those things up and a night out at the showbox was not sounding great.

but i could not have been more wrong!

we went to see femi kuti.

i dont know if people know about him or not, as i, as previously mentioned, am slow on the musical uptake. if you dont know either, hes an african singer by way of london (or is it london singer by way of africa?). he is following in the footsteps of his late dad, fela kuti, with whom he also performed growing up. political, sexy music.

the show was amazing. i cant explain it in any other terms. the entire crowd cheered and danced... almost like we were in another city. my tired, sober, sore feet didnt care. the entire band played an exceptionally passionate show. a friend said "they come out like a firehose in the mouth," and while im not sure i understand the phrase completely, it seems an appropriate description. the backup singers danced through the entire show... and i dont mean that synced sway from side to side. i mean D-A-N-C-E-D. the whole time. it was incredible.

so for one night, the seattle music scene redeemed itself. and while its sure to disappoint in the near future- probably the capital hill block party- for last night it was totally worth it. i highly recommend if you havent seen him. i would gladly go again.