The first time I saw The Lucksmiths perform live, I was crammed asshole to elbow with fifty other people inside the sold-out Galaxy Hut in Arlington, Virginia. Needless to say the Galaxy Hut is a great place to have a few cold beers, but not such a great place to see a band. There was no stage — and therefore no stage lighting. There was no air conditioning either — and therefore no relief from the stifling heat. Once “maximum capacity” was reached there was no way to reach the bar, the bathroom or the exit. Nothing to do but stand back, take a deep breath of cigarette smoke and sweat, pray the body part pressing against you in the darkness was somehow female, and enjoy the show. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there was no admission — and therefore, inexplicably, no tickets for sale.
So much for the audience… as for the band…? Totally oblivious to any negative aspects of the evening. They performed like they were on stage in front of thousands. They strummed and sang and clapped and whistled their way through about twenty songs in sixty minutes. Mark on bass sporting a goofy haircut with thick black-framed glasses just below his straight-cut bangs. Tali on drums– I mean drum and vocals, and Marty on guitar looking both nervous and exuberant at the same time with bags under his eyes and a terrible case of bed head. Two songs into the set I knew I was witnessing something extraordinary and rare: pure, unadulterated pop ecstasy. I found myself wishing I had been able to convince somebody to accompany me (even though I don’t know where they would have stood) just so I could share the incredible experience. Song by song, The Lucksmiths were proving themselves to be amongst most amazing tunesmiths I had ever heard. The playful, poetic word-play, jangly guitar strum, humor and heartbreak, lone snare beat and whispering cymbal brush, hugged the audience with one ridiculously catchy song after another. They made it look easy. They made it look fun. They made it look like they were truly having the time of their lives — even though they’d just spent the whole day in a van traveling to a venue that would fit inside the dressing room of most other clubs. When the show ended, they “roadied” their own gear back into the van and then returned inside for free beer, and the chance to meet and greet their fans and sell some merchandise. I bought two CD’s and a 45 — hoping that one of them would have today’s Happy Medium Song of the Day: “Edward, Sandwich Hand.” It turned up on the b-side of the single, “Untidy Towns” and later on the full-length CD, Happy Secret.
Geek confession. I liked this song so much, I think I may have called my friend Andy in New York and left it on his answering machine. There’s just no way you can listen to this song and not find yourself whistling and bopping your head to the beat as you skip down the sidewalk just daring someone to heckle your pop n’ roll high. Go on. I dare ya.
(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)
So much for the audience… as for the band…? Totally oblivious to any negative aspects of the evening. They performed like they were on stage in front of thousands. They strummed and sang and clapped and whistled their way through about twenty songs in sixty minutes. Mark on bass sporting a goofy haircut with thick black-framed glasses just below his straight-cut bangs. Tali on drums– I mean drum and vocals, and Marty on guitar looking both nervous and exuberant at the same time with bags under his eyes and a terrible case of bed head. Two songs into the set I knew I was witnessing something extraordinary and rare: pure, unadulterated pop ecstasy. I found myself wishing I had been able to convince somebody to accompany me (even though I don’t know where they would have stood) just so I could share the incredible experience. Song by song, The Lucksmiths were proving themselves to be amongst most amazing tunesmiths I had ever heard. The playful, poetic word-play, jangly guitar strum, humor and heartbreak, lone snare beat and whispering cymbal brush, hugged the audience with one ridiculously catchy song after another. They made it look easy. They made it look fun. They made it look like they were truly having the time of their lives — even though they’d just spent the whole day in a van traveling to a venue that would fit inside the dressing room of most other clubs. When the show ended, they “roadied” their own gear back into the van and then returned inside for free beer, and the chance to meet and greet their fans and sell some merchandise. I bought two CD’s and a 45 — hoping that one of them would have today’s Happy Medium Song of the Day: “Edward, Sandwich Hand.” It turned up on the b-side of the single, “Untidy Towns” and later on the full-length CD, Happy Secret.
Geek confession. I liked this song so much, I think I may have called my friend Andy in New York and left it on his answering machine. There’s just no way you can listen to this song and not find yourself whistling and bopping your head to the beat as you skip down the sidewalk just daring someone to heckle your pop n’ roll high. Go on. I dare ya.
(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)