Up at noon. Nothing big to speak off. Clean up, do some car maintenance. Practice bass for 30 minutes, but not really anything accomplished. More of a dicking around than a practice. I didn't even stretch. Killed some time before heading up to Providence to AS220. Original plan was to just get something up there to eat, but this was not the case. Got in around 8:30, and saw the Taqueria was closed. I forgot it was sunday. Well, that ravioli I had for dinner seemed an even better idea in retrospect. Also, I was going to save 5 bux. Who am I to argue with finances?

The show at AS220 was

The Glass Shivers
The White Mice
Lazy Magnet
Neptune

Glass Shivers kicked things off with a fade-in. Their ambient glitch/noise-scapes were rich and dense, but felt like they were holding back a bit. Some people talking during the crowd, kinda detracted during the quiet parts. Everyone could have turned up. Loud parts were not as loud as they should have been for effect. Talk to Ken, he recognized me after my haircut. I stumble over my words at first but quickly sort them out. Talk to Scott, also in the band, we talk about gear and what they use, and what I use. He says that Ken saw A Troop of Echoes play, I think I remember that show, probably the one with Wizzardz. Also saw the bass player from Xerxes tonight, although I couldn't remember it and had to ask him where he was from. Oops.
The White Mice were next. I saw them at Machines With Magnets and they blew. Hard. I was really worried that they were going to take a nosedive into shit, but they pulled up at the last minute (I guess). Whoever they had on laptop is gone, and in his place are a guitar player and a electronics man, running a Boss rhythmmachine into a sampler and both of them into a Kaoss pad. Sounded great, although it was not as loud was the MWM show. Mid-way through the bass player cranked the electronic guy, and I think the guitar turned up as well, and the sound balanced itself out. In songs he wasn't a part of, the electronics guy got in the pit. It was a good time. Got in the pit 4 or 5 times (don't worry, I brought a glasses hardcase. Why I didn't do that before is stupefying. I can still have glasses AND be in the pit! It's amazing!) Also, the electronics guy has a bunny head on, as opposed to a mouse. Wish I could get one of the mice masks. Would be bitchin to wear that sucker around for a day.
Up next was Lazy Magnet. Sorta like a shoegaze Magnetic Fields. I thought they were alright. Walked out half way in the set, just couldn't get into it. Bought a White Mice shirt and the new Neptune CD as well as a shirt from them. Total came to 27, I only had 25 left. Thankfully they just said no problem. Still feel kinda bad.
Then was Neptune. Jesus christ, I have never been to a show more intense. It was like they were staring you down in the face for 40 minutes, hands pressed against your head. Although I was a little miffed as the second guitar player spent 10 minutes tuning his "guitar". For those that don't know, they make their own guitars out of junk metal, and their own synthesizers out of schematics. What sucks though is that the guy doesn't write down, or even KNOW his tuning. Seeing them at the Machines With Magnets show, I asked him what was the tuning on his guitar. He just showed me chords he plays in the songs.
So, he spends 10 minutes tuning his guitar to a variety of whack-assed-2-octave-spanning-tunings. He finally gets it "right" and they go into the first song. Of course, there is not a hint of tonality anywhere on the guitar, so you really can't notice. After the song he says "I GOT IT!" and proceeds to tune back to his "standard" tuning. And then he snaps a string. "I probably need that, but who cares?" he says. And they proceed to be Hell's premier dance band. Strangely danceable songs to atonal music. Amazingly intense music, and show. End of the set, they're saying thank you while the crowd is eating it up. But we wanted more. We give them some suggestions to appease us. One of these options was to improvise, or "MAKE UP A SONG" as it was suggested. They're not going anywhere, and they damn well know it. The swagger back to their positions, the drummer yelling "Alright, you guys asked for it." And proceed to make us dance/mosh even further. I should note that I was on the left side of the stage, right up front, the entire time (I had to take my cell phone out to give the guy a light, as he was plugging in pedals and changing settings through the set) and I was headbanging and jumping up and down but I didn't engage in the pit, until this moment. I jump, literally, into the pit and instantly start shoving, pushing, pogoing, and swarming myself around the circumference of a four foot circle. Thank god I didn't do it for the whole set, I was exhausted by the end of the "song". But, at least no one could say I didn't get into it. They stop. We cheer. They say they have no more material, and this time we believe them. The lights come up, everyone shuffles out and I say my goodbyes to Ken and Neptune, thanking them for the show and everything.
As I come out, it's raining, but I really don't care as I'm sweating and very hot. I clutch my jacket and walk down the block coming towards the little alley of Matthewson spilling out onto Empire. This woman I pass by just looks and says "WOOOO PARTY ON DUDE" to me. I keep walk, briskly, just to get to my car to collect my head, and my thoughts. On the way home, a stationwagon with it's front all smashed to pieces almost cuts me off. All I can see if the license plate and the front of the car. The plate reads "PARDY" and I drive. I drive and think that I really really hate clubbing scum bags. Drive home listening to the new Neptune record. It sounds great (musically and production wise), although I wish it was a bit longer.

The trio of shows is now over with, what am I going to do to occupy myself for the next week? Compose? Looks like I might have to...