2001-03-28 - 9:00 a.m.

Assemblage 23 w/ Imperative Reaction

OMFG!

The best concert I've ever been to was VNV Nation this past September. Last night came incredibly close to matching the energy and dynamic ... hell the overall experience of last year's "big show".

Although I saw Imperative Reaction in Feburary, and the group is young (they all look under 25), they rock. If they come your way, make a point to see them.

Then there is Canada's (I believe) Assemblage 23. Cricket used to call them "the boy band", though I would tease her that she would always run out to the floor and dance to them. Three members, all looking about 30-35 years old ... Stage Presence ahem! They --ROCKED--!!!

OK so here is how I would describe them: mix VNV Nation with a bit of Depeche Mode and some elements of Covenant. In fact, if you aren't familiar with all of Covenant's history you could easily mistake Assemblage 23 for them at times.

Some people consider this bad, to not have your own sound. Well they actually do, but I use the above two groups to hopefully encourage my friends to buy Assemblage 23.

OMG! Last night was simply incredible. I drove Redwood down from Davis and we got there at 6:30 PM. I parked literally right in front of the club. I was so worried about parking, and yet it was not an issue at all. Redwood and I had dinner at a Meditirainian place next to the club, The Justice League. I actually was privately hoping he'd want to eat at the Ethopian place next to it, but the menu didn't tickle his pickle.

Since we had forever to kill (the club wasn't opened yet), we walked around. We went all around the Haight in San Francisco. Victorian houses ... *swoon* ... I want to buy one and live around Baker Street. That really is such a nice part of San Francisco.

We also managed to find a park right behind the club, complete with swing sets. I had flash backs to this fall with Cricket when the two of us would get drunk and then hang out and talk about life for hours (late into the night) on playground equipment. I love swings ... hell, I love playgrounds. Hehehehe. ;)

When the show started we talked with this girl who is a friend of Halo's from the South Bay. I was surprised she recognized me. By the time the doors opened tons of RIVETS! were there. No stinking swirly goths, just rivets or hybrids. ;) [No, I actually like goths fine, rivets are goths, just a subgroup of them.]

All the beautiful people! Damn, I think just about everybody from the San Francisco and about 1/10 of the Sacramento scenes were there. It was the Rivet event of the Spring.

Before the show the DJs played the not overplayed _good_ industrial and EBM songs. I finally got to dance to Hocico's (sp?) Spit As An Offense. I went up and teased Mixer who refused to play the song for me because it was "too intense". Apparently the DJs spinning weren't playing dance music, just your standard experimental mixed with fucking hard core EBM pounding music.

I'll mention again how much stage presence the lead singer, Tom I believe, had. Assemblage 23 is new, and yet he obviously has been around. He can dance and work a crowd. The only interesting thing was when a houchi-mamma like chick got up on the stage near the end of the show and started dancing with Tom. Actually a few times she grabbed his crotch. It would have been incredibly uncool if he didn't like it, but he either was ignoring her or actually liked the attention.

Before the bands went on I talked with so many people. Something that sparked me was when I talked with Musicia. I told her I was a bit down (got a wonderful hug) and even better, "Oh there are plenty of people for you. It is nearly summer, you'll find somebody soon." Obviously she doesn't know how hard it is for me to talk to women. I had to wait nearly two months before I had the courage to talk to Cricket. Musicia did beg for me to go to Assimilate instead of Bound on Friday. "So will I see you Fri...wait you are going to Bound. Are you sure you want to go? Why don't you hang with me at Assimilate? Nobody will be there, and I'd like company." =) So the evil seed is planted. I might do as Mixer suggested and club hop. Make a quick appearance at Bound so people don't think I'm dissing them, but then run to Assimilate.

I guess I still have a crush on Musicia and it has gotten worse. She left her booth during the Assemblage 23 show and tickled me and screamed something about this being a great show, danced for a second, then ran on to find somebody. She spends most of her club nights trapped behind her CDs. Though I do get some special treatment. She got in more new CDs, and told me that after the DJs pick theirs up, that she had me in mind. Of course she always is happy to let me listen to either her personal copy or any of the DJs (when they aren't around). Bottom line: she simply loves music and anybody who expresses a major interest in it. And she loves EBM. Whoot!

Last night was exactly what I needed. And Mixer's advice, "You aren't going to feel better hiding up in Davis" is ever true. I felt like I had a good talk with him and I also felt like he appreciate me telling how I was feeling about things in Feb. He even made the point of telling me that he understood I couldn't make it to his sets on Thursday (he is spinning then), but that he'd get me his play list. And he was also encouraging me to go to Assimilate too!

Music Recommendation

Assemblage 23's new album Failure. Buy it. I got it for $12 last night. I've listened to half of it, and I must say that it ROCKS! Yes, it is EBM. And yes, there are a growing number of stinker butts who talk trash about EBM. Anyway tomorrow I was thinking about actually writing about why EBM is not only interesting to me, but how it touches me, how the lyrics have meaning ... there is an emotional attachment.

-=-

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