THIRD PLACE GIG REPORT Nevermind Gila Killers - ETC is "Killer Gila"
Regarding ETC at Third Place Fri, 8 July 2005:
ETC people all miraculously employed w/ day jobs meant we couldn’t soundcheck and arrived in drips and drabs.
“Play ‘Handphones on the Dancefloor’!” someone shouted out as Ben walked into the clean & comfy & good-sound venue.
Guitar amps: located in front of the stage – tilted & facing up, like monitors. Curveball thrown w/ Adrian not using usual special effects, but assured that his whammy-bar counts as an “effect”. Ben, tasked w/ microphone duty, regretted not being able to see Adrian’s stage-moves.
Pre-gig: nevermind whether it was right / disrespectful to play music the wake of London bombing a few hours before, Ben didn’t think he even could – with news making him feel ill. Then channelled the illness into pulling out suitable lyrics to fit the ETC-music templates codenamed “Bungalow”, “4004 B.C.”, “Shortwave Goodbye” & “Luftguitar”. Source lyrics included “Uniform” (“Now we’re all born in uniform”), “Prisoners of War” (“We are all prisoners of war”), “Reeling” & “Ribbons” (“What are you going to do now – cut ribbons to ribbons?”). This fits w/ ETC’s freestyle approach of playing off-the-cuff – going w/out a setlist as it forces musicians to be listeners - not just players; means the music is more adaptable to the environment it's played in. But this time it became evident it wouldn't be fair to drummer Lennat, understandably uncomfortable about playing genuinely unfamiliar material. Also it might be too righteous to force-feed a young audience such blues.
Mood changed considerably when Ben's brother in London was located, alive & well. The other logic kicked in: we have a chance to play these songs ... so we should. As well as the mere act of playing, these are songs with references to things like sex, infidelity, dancing and the ineffectuality of males - oh, and a religious reference that might cause some hearts to flutter. And this makes them songs that warped dogma peddlers wouldn't appreciate. We're not in Taliban-run Afghanistan or whatever else passes for al-Queda's idea of paradise. Fuck em. Let's not let them stop us.
It's not much, but if our piece de resistance is pissed resistance, then pissed resistance is our piece de resistance.
So we played a set. The audience seemed young. Nicely balanced male/female ratio. Mostly seated throughout (got to their feet during Serenaide where there was even body surfing!). But the long applause took ETC by surprise; then people citing ETC lyrics afterwards; and then Ben was pointed to good notices online. One kind young reviewer even said ETC = "killer gil-a" which translates as a really big complement in ETC world.
Post-gig: Adrian – drinking w/ a birthday girl & pals. Vinita – catching up w/ an old friend in Yishun. Ben & Lennat – Chinese tea at nearby establistment having failed to find friends. Lennat (a drummer) lectures Ben on what kind of guitar he needs (based on look). Ben decides "Something Else" by Eddie Cochran is the Motherlode and Lennat should get hip to it. Escorts Lennat half a bus-ride home. What a glamourous life.
[ back to ETC mainpage ]
ETC people all miraculously employed w/ day jobs meant we couldn’t soundcheck and arrived in drips and drabs.
“Play ‘Handphones on the Dancefloor’!” someone shouted out as Ben walked into the clean & comfy & good-sound venue.
Guitar amps: located in front of the stage – tilted & facing up, like monitors. Curveball thrown w/ Adrian not using usual special effects, but assured that his whammy-bar counts as an “effect”. Ben, tasked w/ microphone duty, regretted not being able to see Adrian’s stage-moves.
Pre-gig: nevermind whether it was right / disrespectful to play music the wake of London bombing a few hours before, Ben didn’t think he even could – with news making him feel ill. Then channelled the illness into pulling out suitable lyrics to fit the ETC-music templates codenamed “Bungalow”, “4004 B.C.”, “Shortwave Goodbye” & “Luftguitar”. Source lyrics included “Uniform” (“Now we’re all born in uniform”), “Prisoners of War” (“We are all prisoners of war”), “Reeling” & “Ribbons” (“What are you going to do now – cut ribbons to ribbons?”). This fits w/ ETC’s freestyle approach of playing off-the-cuff – going w/out a setlist as it forces musicians to be listeners - not just players; means the music is more adaptable to the environment it's played in. But this time it became evident it wouldn't be fair to drummer Lennat, understandably uncomfortable about playing genuinely unfamiliar material. Also it might be too righteous to force-feed a young audience such blues.
Mood changed considerably when Ben's brother in London was located, alive & well. The other logic kicked in: we have a chance to play these songs ... so we should. As well as the mere act of playing, these are songs with references to things like sex, infidelity, dancing and the ineffectuality of males - oh, and a religious reference that might cause some hearts to flutter. And this makes them songs that warped dogma peddlers wouldn't appreciate. We're not in Taliban-run Afghanistan or whatever else passes for al-Queda's idea of paradise. Fuck em. Let's not let them stop us.
It's not much, but if our piece de resistance is pissed resistance, then pissed resistance is our piece de resistance.
So we played a set. The audience seemed young. Nicely balanced male/female ratio. Mostly seated throughout (got to their feet during Serenaide where there was even body surfing!). But the long applause took ETC by surprise; then people citing ETC lyrics afterwards; and then Ben was pointed to good notices online. One kind young reviewer even said ETC = "killer gil-a" which translates as a really big complement in ETC world.
Post-gig: Adrian – drinking w/ a birthday girl & pals. Vinita – catching up w/ an old friend in Yishun. Ben & Lennat – Chinese tea at nearby establistment having failed to find friends. Lennat (a drummer) lectures Ben on what kind of guitar he needs (based on look). Ben decides "Something Else" by Eddie Cochran is the Motherlode and Lennat should get hip to it. Escorts Lennat half a bus-ride home. What a glamourous life.
[ back to ETC mainpage ]
posted by abcdetc at 7/21/2548
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