The Nerve of Some People!

Today is my actual birthday, and I should be all happy and stuff. Instead, I feel the need to complain a little. I’ve got a beef with two particular bands right now: Fishing For Comets and THe BAcksliders. Every year at this time, I book some of the finest musical acts that the local music scene has to offer, and I convince them to play at Barley House. These lineups are so phenomenal, that usually no bands have the nerve to play against them. This year, however, not one, but two great bands are playing tonight, but not at Barley House.

Fishing For Comets is headlining a show at City Tavern tonight, and they’ve gotten Dirt Blazers to open up for them. I absolutely love Fishing For Comets. They played my birthday show two years ago, and I was about to recruit them for this year’s lineup when I discovered that they were already booked for the evening. Camille, how can you and the guys do this to me? You know that ever since you so kindly gave me your first CD that it was love at first listen. You should be at Barley House tonight; you know I’m right.

THe BAcksliders are another veteran of my birthday shows. In fact, they are the only band I’ve ever booked for my birthday show that I’d never seen nor heard when I agreed to put them on the bill. Johnny Lloyd Rollins asked if I had any open slots, and he recommended some bands, one of which was THe BAcksliders. All I knew about the band was that it featured Kim Pendleton (ex-Vibrolux) and Chris Bonner, who I knew back in the days that he was with Sons of Sound. But that’s all that I needed to know. I knew that with those two being the heart of the band, there was no way that the music could be anything but killer. I was right; their set last year was an electric mix of rock, soul, blues, heartbreak, sensuality, and everything else under the sun. Simply put, it ruled.

So are THe BAcksliders playing for me again? No, they’re not. Instead, they decided to a play a show for someone else’s birthday. They’ll be at the Allgood Café celebrating the birthday of some guy named Mike Snider. Who does this Mike Snider guy think he is, trying to compete with my birthday celebration? And who gave him the right to book THe BAcksliders?

Of course, I’m only kidding here. I have nothing but love for both of these bands. And yes, I do know who Mike Snider is. We may have an ongoing debate about the fact that he doesn’t show the proper musical respect for The Monkees, but I still think he’s cooler than hell. I didn’t know that we shared a birthday in common though. In fact, I think he’s turning 25, just like I am.

Both Fishing For Comets and The BAcksliders are great bands, but I hope that everyone instead goes to Barley House tonight for my 10th annual 25th birthday party (because I'm selfish like that). In case if you haven’t been paying attention to my blog, here’s the summary. Rahim Quazi opens the show with a solo set at about 10:00 p.m. or so, the cut*off follow at about 11:00, and The Chemistry Set headline at midnight or so. All times are approximate; after all, these are musicians. However, if you feel compelled to go to one of the other shows I’ve mentioned, just get a hand written note from one of the band members (or Mike Snider), and I’ll consider letting it slide as an excused absence. Oh, and if you slip a twenty inside the note, I promise to count it as an excused absence.