October 13, 2003 - 4:13 AM

I Like the Like

Tonight was a late show at Cinespace featuring a group called Women and Children, who I didn't cotton to, and the fabulous trio called The Like. The members of The Like are all high school girls (17 years old, I think), with the drummer being the daughter of Pete Thomas, drummer for Elvis Costello among others, and the bassist being the daughter of Mitchell Froom, noted producer (although she is not an offspring from his marriage to Suzanne Vega). I was introduced to the group when i saw them open for Maria McKee back in May, and I was immediately smitten with them. Their stage mannerisms are cute, the way they giggle and wince when they mess up is cute, their goofy banter is cute. They're just so cute.

But what's really amazing is their music. Sure, that's cute, but it is super awesome too. Very polished and professional. Catchy as hell. Reminds me of the indie/alternative pop from the mid 90's that serves as one of the bedrock layers of my musical tastes. A little punk, a little bubblegum, a little Beatles, a little Blondie mixed with the Pretenders. Makes me want to be in high school again, pogo-ing about, bopping my head from side to side. Dude. High school. You know it's good if I'm thinking about being in high school in a GOOD light.

Not only are their songs tight, the girls also play their instruments like pros, especially Tennessee on drums who is frickin' rock solid with the tempo and can smack the kit like no one's business. Z, the singer/guitarist, ain't no slouch on the guitar, and sings with an assurance and strength that you usually don't find in someone her age. Heck, the lead singer for the opening band who looked like she was 30 didn't have half the vocal chops that Z did. Meanwhile, Charlotte's bass lines fit into the songs perfectly, and she threw in some nice sinewy lines that flowed around the chords, a talent that is sorely lacking in a LOT of bassists who don't understand how to compliment the music with their playing.

Hey, if someone looks really familiar, and they remind you of someone, but you don't know who that someone that they remind you of is, does that still count? I mean, as far as "you remind me of someone" goes? Because I swear Charlotte bears an uncanny resemblance to someone, but I can't for the life of me place who it is she reminds me of.

So, yes, the Like rocked my ass, and it was only 5 bucks for entry to boot. I picked up their two 3 song EPs for 3 bucks each, which made for an inexpensive entertainement night. Sadly, I wasn't able to take anybody along for the show. Why? It would've been too late a show for the old fogies Tony and Matt (the music didn't start until 10:30, and The Like didn't go on themselves until close to midnight), and Nick wasn't in the mood to go out. But I'm gonna try to convince those mooks, or maybe even my friend Mike T, to hit their next concert.

In an amazing bout of coincidence, after the show, I got home and started to do some late night laundry. While waiting for the washing and drying cycles to run their courses, I watched the shows that I'd taped Friday night and tonight. Started with Alias (why the hell does the Agency always agree to send Sydney out on what seems like every single mission, especially this season when she's just 2 days/2 weeks removed from a 2 year coma?! Don't they have other field agents they could send out?), then The Lyon's Den, and then Joan of Arcadia.

I know, you're thinking "Paul, get to the stupid coincidence already." Just hold on to your horses (this is the big reason why I suck at telling stories or jokes...I feel like I need to set the whole scenario up and recount every last extraneous detail so that the listener understands the motivations of the characters, when really all that is needed is a little set up and then the punchline. See, I'm doing it again!).

So, I'm watching Joan, which is supposed to take place in Maryland, although they goofed two weeks ago by having two of the characters go to a fast food drive through to order two Double-Doubles Animal Style, which is a specific special order for a double cheeseburger that only a restaurant here in California called In 'N Out does...uh...where was I? Oh, yeah, so the show is winding down, with their plot points getting nicely tidied up, when I hear the opening guitar notes of a song called (So I'll Sit Here) Waiting by, who else, but, The Like. The girls hadn't mentioned anything about it during their show, I wasn't aware that their music was going to be used, and yet, just a few hours after I see them in concert, there they are, rocking on the soundtrack to this cute little My-So-Called Life meets Buffy (at least the funny high school stuff) The Vampire Slayer meets Quantum Leap show. Or as someone much funnier than me calls it: God and Order:Special Virgins Unit.

Unfortunately, it was 2 in the morning when this happened, and I had no one with whom I could share the moment. One of the letdowns of not being able to adjust off of my night-owl schedule is having no one to call or chat with online about these little happinesses that occur at night. So, I just danced around my half-folded laundry for a bit, then settled down to finish my chores.

Oh, and I got drunk with Nick Saturday night. Mostly, we just watched baseball, then played baseball on the Playstation. Not too bad a night.

Now Listening To : The Like-I Like the Like
Random Thought : Anyone know how to install Mac OS9 and OSX on a new hard drive?

What I Just Wrote Before - What I'm About to Write

The Five Most Recent Entries

Here's a hand-picked playlist of 40-plus songs for you to listen to: