Blogtown, PDX

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Music Does the Blow Talk Too Much Onstage?

Posted by Chas Bowie on Tue, Feb 20 at 12:11 PM

Poll Temporarily Disabled

Welcome to the inter-office debate du jour. After Friday night’s show at Holocene, I cemented myself firmly in the “yes” camp here. I love love love the Blow, and I’ve seen them play half a billion times and will continue to go see them, but with each show I find myself more exasperated with the emocutesy monologues between songs. I know that Khaela has a (slight, but not to be foregrounded) history with performance art, and I can see that yes, the banter creates an audience/performer space of vulnerability and honesty or whatever, but I don’t dig it. I like the Blow’s music because it makes me happy and dance-y, and I’m perfectly capable of interpreting the songs for myself. When I start hearing about karaoke bars and dreams and exes, my feet quit moving and my mind starts wandering to the stack of bills on my kitchen table, and guilt over still not having mailed out my dad’s birthday present, and everything else I want to forget about on a Friday night. A colleague of mine here disagrees and says that he likes hearing what the songs are about, which kind of shocked me, because I confused my opinion for universal sentiment once again. So I ask you: Should the Blow think about kicking out the jams onstage with less bloggystyle talk, or not change a thing and share more of her life onstage? The polls are open.

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Comments

It's not the role of the performer to emotionally interpret their work. It's the role of the audience.

It's like Thom Yorke crying during a duet with Bjork of "I've Seen It All"—or that David Foster Wallace chump, putting all his interpretations into parentheses. I hate Thom Yorke. I hate David Foster Wallace. Therefore, by implication, I hate these Blow-monkies.

It's just self-involved preciousness. Give me Frank Sinatra, any day.

Posted by I hate Thom Yorke's tears | February 20, 2007 12:34 PM

Amy? AMY! What the hell is Matt talking about?

Posted by Alison Hallett | February 20, 2007 1:25 PM

I've got nothing to do with this. Don't try dragging me into it.

Posted by Matt Davis | February 20, 2007 1:31 PM

oh, sorry. Hysterical mud slinging... I just assumed... accept my apology?

Posted by Alison Hallett | February 20, 2007 1:32 PM

That would be a compliment!

Posted by Matt Davis | February 20, 2007 1:35 PM

I can't vote because our IP address has already been used, but for the record I like it when she talks. The arty faux stream of consciousness shit is clearly rehearsed, and i think most of it is well-integrated &connects nicely with her songs. When she's singing, the songs sound EXACTLY like they do on the record, so i think her talking helps keep things interesting.
Also she went to my school. geoducks 4eva.

Posted by Alison Hallett | February 20, 2007 2:25 PM

I saw some emo-ey opening band last year and after about the 4th song I wanted to yell' Nobody cares about the party houses you lived in in Olympia or the girls you were hot for!" Because I swear that was the lead-in to every song. So lame. I'm with you Chas.

Posted by Beer Batter | February 20, 2007 2:33 PM

But that's the thing: If this was normal annoying emo (or whatever) stage banter, I think I'd be w/ Chas and Beer Batter. But it's not. I think if you've seen The Blow it's obvious that her talking is pretty intricately constructed--it's stuff that leads into (and out of) songs, stuff that factors into the lyrics' themes, stuff that adds to the music rather than delays it or distracts from it. And it's funny to boot. Pretty much everybody else is just annoying when they talk rather than sing, but w/ The Blow, I think it's a pretty integral and enjoyable facet of the performance.

P.S. Also, David Foster Wallace rules.

Posted by Erik Henriksen | February 20, 2007 2:49 PM

On the basis I've never seen The Blow perform, and therefore "don't have a leg to stand on," I completely and wholeheartedly agree with Chas Bowie. It's the principle of the thing.

Posted by Matt Davis | February 20, 2007 5:21 PM

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