My feet weren't the only body parts being jostled last weekend. On Friday night, Chop Suey's monthly queer party, Comeback, was jammed with pretty boys and their fag-hag friends grinding to great eclectic sets from local DJs. The vinyl selectors for that evening definitely outshined the Hollertronix mash-up DJs at Chop Suey's second-anniversary show the night before. I'm sorry, but now that genre-crossing within songs is nothing new, it's gonna take more than putting a little Missy in your Clash to impress this gal. Overall, though, you can't complain about a free, fun dance party--as well as one of the final nights for the club's sweet manager, Frank Nieto, who spent one final weekend at the club before flipping over to the P.R. business. If you're looking for a little more rock in your record spinners, I have two Saturday-night events to recommend. The Twilight Exit has the ever-popular weekly mix of old soul, mod, R&B, and '70s punk, and the LO_FI Gallery (a really cool-looking little space with a great view of the Space Needle, next to the Lobo on Eastlake) is hosting the UFO DJs for Studio 66 on Saturday, May 22, with guest spinner Greg Vandy from KEXP. The UFO crew mixes up mod and soul with acid jazz, international pop, and psychedelic rock. (The Bug Nasties and the Reflectors are set to play that night as well.)
On the heels of the new MC5 documentary MC5: A True Testimonial, the remaining band members are now doing a national tour. (MC5: A True Testimonial is an excellent DVD about the rise and demise of that seminal band; its widespread commercial release has been held up over a dispute between guitarist Wayne Kramer and the film's creators.) Calling themselves DKT/MC5, the group (comprising Kramer, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson) is kicking off its North American dates next month, with Mark Arm and Evan Dando filling in on vocals (in place of vocalist Rob Tyner) and Marshall Crenshaw on guitar/vocals (in place of Fred "Sonic" Smith). It sounds like a victory lap for a band that was never able to capitalize commercially on its groundbreaking sound during its heyday, but is now enjoying the rewards of its permeating influence on the rock world. I have to say my interest is definitely piqued. If you're planning a Tyner tribute, Arm is an excellent choice; his vocal dexterity at last weekend's sold-out Mudhoney show laid proof to that fact once again. (Dando, on the other hand, sounds like a really odd pick. Too bad the rumors of Mark Lanegan joining this tour didn't pan out instead.) I e-mailed Arm about the MC5 tour, and he responded, "The last thing I want to do is become the equivalent of Ian Astbury doing an incredible simulation of the Doors of the 21st Century (or whatever they're calling themselves). I told Wayne that those are awfully big shoes to fill. He told me that I wouldn't be filling them." Arm added that DKT/MC5 weren't looking for someone "to wear an afro wig an imitate Robin." The lineup will instead be a tribute to the MC5 (hence the moniker DKT/MC5) with various guests in different cities. "I am hardly the focal point and that's how I like it," Arm said. "I really just hope that my best is good enough and that we kick ass every show we play. After rehearsing with them last week, my nervousness has subsided somewhat, and I'm confident that we will, indeed, kick out the jams." The DKT/MC5 show comes to Neumo's Saturday July 3.
Arm will be making an appearance at the Sunset this Friday, May 21, where he and I will join forces with Sub Pop's Megan Jasper, the Showbox's Chad Queirolo, and Sonic Boom's Matt Olsen as judges for the Sunset's "Battle of the Shitty Bands/Shit by Shit West." The benefit debacle (proceeds all go to the nonprofit musicians' health resource, the RACk) will be hosted, American Idol-style, by Jimmy Flame and includes both joke acts and serious bands who've had such a hard time getting shows they just assume they're shit. Should be lots of fun.
