This weekend the Black Cat invited old D.C. music stalwarts and promising new bands to celebrate the club’s 20th anniversary. Across the board, the performances from the weekend were spirited and the joy and reverence for the space, genuine. However, throughout the weekend-long party a few moments stood out.
Alec MacKaye’s cameo during The Shirks set:
When Shirks frontman Al Budd announced that their final song would be a cover, Alec MacKaye (who had spent Friday night DJing) took the stage and jokingly asked Budd, “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” However, what followed was “New Rose” by the Damned which also starts with that question and is about as far from polite ’80s pop as the Smiths are from reuniting. MacKaye leered at the audience, howling into the microphone and tossing his body haphazardly around the stage, taking the microphone stand (and nearly the members of the Shirks) down with him.
–Valerie Paschall
Ted Leo’s performance of “Ballad of the Sin Eater”:
There are a few songs that are staples of any Ted Leo performance but this standout tune from 2003’s Hearts of Oak really only makes an appearance on special occasions. The Pharmacists were already at fever pitch, emitting an impressive level of excitement during the guitar solo of “Biomusicology,” which is hardly their most dynamic song. So during “Sin Eater,” which might actually be their most dynamic song, Ted lunged toward the crowd driving the front rows into a frenzy. He even made his forehead bleed when he beat it overzealously with the microphone while pantomiming the lyrics.
–Valerie Paschall
The Girls Against Boys collaboration with David Yow:
The Girls Against Boys set would have been notable without the appearance of the Jesus Lizard frontman. The contrast of cool and reserved (yet pointedly stinging) singer/guitarist Scott McCloud and manic bassist/keyboardist Eli Janney provided for perhaps Friday night’s most electrifying set. Yet, when “Sir David Yow,” as McCloud introduced him, took the stage, the set went from electrifying to utter dissonant joy. And no, ladies and gentlemen, Yow did not disrobe. In fact, when he first took the stage, McCloud gave the erratic singer a somewhat concerned look and said, “David, let’s keep it…legal.”
–Valerie Paschall
The Shirks’ Al Budd’s best Black Cat memories:
The Shirks searing rendition of “D.C. is Doomed” apparently did a number on guitarist (and DCist tour diarist) Ned Moffat’s axe and his search for a replacement took him off the stage for a few minutes. This quick break in the action gave Shirks frontman and beloved Black Cat bartender Al Budd a few minutes to talk about his favorite memories of the club. “I got to meet Leif Garrett,” shared Budd. Also, “I got to clean a toilet that Mike Ness used.” When an audience member insinuated that latter moment was awkward, Budd responded with, “It wasn’t awkward for me.”
–Valerie Paschall
Gray Matter’s performance of “Swann Street”:
This weekend was obviously a celebration of the work of Gray Matter drummer and Black Cat founder Dante Ferrando. If his utter joy wasn’t clear during the rest of the set as he deftly pounded his kit, it was during set closer “Head,” where he shared a wide grin with bassist Steve Niles. However, one of the most poignant moment of the set actually involved a performance of a song wherein Ferrando was not a part of the songwriting process. Power-folk number “Swann Street” by Three (which was basically Gray Matter with Minor Threat’s Jeff Nelson on drums) is the best underrated love song to the city and specifically, to the street directly across the road from the Black Cat. It may not have been Friday night’s biggest sing-a-long or the wildest performance, but it unearthed, at least for us, a wealth of memories standing on the famed tiled floor experiencing those ephemeral yet timeless moments in front of our favorite bands.
–Valerie Paschall
Mary Timony’s Prince cover set:
Mary Timony has lots of material to cull over for a solo performance. Besides fronting bands like Wild Flag, Helium, and Autoclave, she’s put out a number of solo albums by herself and with the Mary Timony Band. Still, she played none of her own material. Instead, Timony, along with Nathan Larson of Shudder To Think, Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys, James Canty of Ted Leo’s Pharmicists, and Alexis Fleisig, also of Girls Against Boys, played an entire set of Prince covers. I could go into detail about how awesome it was, but I don’t want to rub it in for those who weren’t there. Just take my word for it: It ruled.
–Matt Cohen
New Wet Kojak reminding everyone that they’re D.C.’s favorite long lost supergroup:
I’ll be honest: I’ve never really given New Wet Kojak a proper listen. In fact, I never really heard about them until, like, a few years ago. Which is probably why I was shocked to discover the band was basically a D.C. supergroup, with members of Girls and Against Boys, Gray Matter, and Edsel making up the experimental post-hardcore quintet. Like most of the audience, I was pretty blown away by the group’s angular, calculated post-hardcore, that often veered into experimental art-rock territory with the addition of Charles Bennington on sax. This was New Wet Kojak’s first show in 11 years, but judging from how tight they sounded, despite some technical difficulties from one of Scott McClouds mics, it could’ve been their first show in 11 days.
–Matt Cohen
Tuscadero, in general:
Tuscadero is one of my favorite D.C. bands. Their brand driving indie-pop is instantly addictive and the songwriting is sweetly addictive. The band pulled no punches in their Saturday night performance, delivering the goods with hits like “Mount Pleasant,” “Heat Lightning,” “Doctor Doom,” “Hollywood Handsome,” and well, basically all the hits. Total “d’awww” moment when singer/guitarist Margaret McCartney Melissa Farris told the audience that the Black Cat was where she met her husband for their first date.
–Matt Cohen
Shudder To Think reuniting with their original lineup.
From the opening chords of the band’s set opener “Hit Liquor”, Shudder To Think delivered a performance on par with every other band of the weekend: Flawless and excellent. But the most memorable moment of the set came during the encore, when the band brought on original guitarist Chris Matthews and drummer Mike Russell to play a pair of oldies from their Dischord days. Everyone was stoked.
–Matt Cohen
