Cure 1997 has fundamentally changed me since I first saw it. It exemplifies what horror movies can be. Kurosawa plays with fear in a way that is much more meaningful than jump scares; it's methodical, and it refuses to compromise with its watchers. At times, explanations are given by characters to the audience and it feels ultimately too easy, but it's a small misstep, in comparison to the creativity and thought of the film. I mean, jeepers creepers! It's really creepy! If you let Cure take you on a sonic and visual journey, you'll be immersed in the lighting, the darkness, rhythmic thumps, and drones. Every video essay is about how Kurosawa tries to hypnotize you (it’s an obvious conclusion, duh!), but the movie truly shines because it knows what to give and what to take. It's the defintion of a horror movie trying to immerse and make you scared
Jejune is a really cool first wave emo band from the 90s fromed at berklee. Jan came with me after I put him on, and it was genuinely very sweet crowd. I was trying to wingwoman Jan (which i did) but the only man that talked to me was...rather unfortunate. The opener, Ethel Reserve, was amazing! I mean I could absolutely not hear a word of what the lead was singing, but to be fair I don't listen to emo music for the words, it's instrumentals all the way. I mean one of my favorite Jejune songs is That's Why She Hates Me and that has like 0 words. And despite everyone in the venue sweating majorly, and I mean everyone, I think we all head banged our hearts out. Got pictures with Arabella and Joe and got Chris to give me his pick, which he then signed (ur sooooo jealous). Such such sweet people, thank god for numero group
Baltimore Avenue / Berra / Room Corners, (to be revised)
It’s always nerve wracking going to a concert by yourself, even more so with local bands because everyone in the audience has a personal tie to the main act. With bigger artist you know someone, anyone is in the exact same position as you—— having to come alone in a void and to see an act, because what else can do sometimes? Here I’m thrown to the wolves. It’s all new to me, local bands specifically in the DMV. I’ve spent years in Western Massachusetts, with a lively punk, very transitory college band scene, but never alone. I've always had the security of college friends to brave a concert with. That is the crowd that greats Baltimore Avenue at their farewell concert, college friends and family.
I get to Rhizome early but turns out that everyone else really couldn't care less about seeing all the acts lined up for tonight. So it's pretty empty, I decide to wait outside where the other early comers are. I meet Berra’s roommate outside by chance, they’re really sweet and strike up a conversation with me immediately. I know it's genuine because they keep talking to me through the music of my AirPods which I have to take out to respond to. It's after door time but before Berra’s (the first) act. There are stragglers outside, but it’s mostly the other performers. For a briefness Kyle, Baltimore Avenues’s lead singer, greets me. He is a tall white boy, I’m a short girl, and he approaches me as I’m sitting down forcing me to crain my neck up at him. He remembers meeting me before, but he’s not sure when. I have to remind him it was from a love island themed party from three weeks ago and I make banter from our conversation from back then, I ask if he’s nervous he says not yet, it hasn’t kicked in yet, all the feelings. He knows the fleetingness of preforming all too well. Those nerves right before you play and in the blink of an eye your set is over, your body and your voice moving with a will you unconsciously indulged. He’s kinda of excited, those feelings haven’t quite hit yet as well. He thanks me for coming out to the show, very sweet, which really solidifies for me that by just being here, I really did, in a way, come to see Baltimore Avenue. I told myself I would be glad to see local acts near by cause I had nothing better to do on a Monday, but despite it all it is genuinely their farewell show.
We start our night with Berra as Kyle yells into the void of the outdoors that we’re starting. I’ve never seen any of the bands on the line up live so I’m all ears and an open heart. We file in and most of her friends take to the front. I’m standing somewhere smack-dab in the middle. A bad spot for me because my height doesn't grant me the ability to see, but when that happens you have to remind yourself that sometimes feeling like you’re entitled to a view is a capitalist mindset and being able to hear the music can be enough. Half of Berra’s set is acoustic then electric, guitars I accidentally now have in the back of my trunk. Melodic and rhythmic. She has that soft voice that emulates (Sofia Zarzuela, Blondshell, Samia) an indie sound that carries it’s singer song writer vibe, that talking singing that doesn’t rely too heavily on long held notes or screams. She plays a song inspired by Jennifers body —— called Jennifers bite, It’s my favorite of her’s from the night, it reminds me of Blade bird by Oklou. There is someone in the crowd behind me humming along, it’s a bit endearing, I can’t hate it too much he’s on key and you can tell that he really loves her music.
After her set is a quick intermission, most of the listeners travel back outside to the wasteland, for a smoke, for a chat, or to escape the heat. Rhizome is an incredibly intimate spot which means if anything it gets hot FAST. Then, it's time for Room Corners. The projector, that I had no clue was there, turns on, and it's a cool ass visual projected on the back of their set up. They’re a five piece band. Two guitars, one bassist (he reminds me of troy Sivan), one pianist (who I’m not sure actually does piano and is more like fun modular sounds) and a dummer. The lead singer is one of the guitarist, standard stuff. They're the picturesque image of a DIY band. The other guitarist, imagine this: overalls, glasses, and cap. Almost Mac Demarco if he was into punk. They have a beat machine, and after every song there is a really groovy intermission section. Fun and silly. Room Corners is the type of band that relys on the emotionality of their instrumentals. So every break down meant something to me deeply. They have this really cool bit where the singer screams into the mic and the keyboardist loops it. A really innovative approach to screaming/scremo that doesn’t ruin your vocal cords. In a way they remind me of Pinegrove and Jank, not so much in the sound but the intensity in their live perfomance. The biggest highlight of the night is getting to hear them perform. I catch myself more than once making a stank face. Unlike so many other college bands I’ve had the pleasure of encountering, their sound is very cohesive and while I can't REALLY hear the singing it doesn't detract from the overall sound. They're everything a girl could expect from a small intimate diy space, and they treat their sound like a jungle gym, really fun and experimental. The lead singer is sporting a acoustasonic and I am very jealous, it’s a beautiful guitar
Rhizome fills up as the hour of Baltimore Avenue approaches. Everyone I have ever slightly meet at a umd party is here to say farewell. Kyle is telling us the house has to turn people away at the door, as he implores the people to file in. Balt Ave start off steady with a song that surprises me, it’s rock yes, but also lightly indie pop in the way that the strokes is. Not what I expected from any local band. Kyle says over and over again “welcome to Baltimore Avenue” like a catch phrase, like Gretchen saying fetch will catch on. I get it, welcome to Baltimore Avenue, welcome to Baltimore Avenue, welcome to Baltimore Avenue, welcome to Baltimore Avenue, welcome to Baltimore Avenue. They have this really interesting sound that I think comes from the group not wanting to be tied into a box. Post punk says their blurb, okay...I’ll let them have it. It’s a light rock but it’s not as light to fall into pop, at the very least Kyle’s vocal’s won’t let it.
My favorites come at the end: Hemlock and Rat club, which I am pretty sure are new releases waiting to come out. The guitar is so delightful I can’t actually take my eyes off of Chase's fingers. As this is their last and third year as a band I can only imagine what they used to sound like, they say they started out as a “shoegaze band”. The sound is not as put together as Room Corners but you can tell that they have the hearts of everyone in the room. Their bodies and head involuntarily move to the music and I can honestly say it's out of the love, the same love that made the man from before sing aloud to Berra. The crowd is malleable to their whims, excitable and Kyle leans right into it. Unlike the other singers, he isn’t shackled by the weight of an instrument. He is sooooo loose which is extended by his height. The space gets so hot I have to worry about his health. He erratically dances and jives he sweats himself into a seat every few songs. It’s enjoyable to see, almost joyous to witness if anything.
The night ends and the people return back into the east land, over all it was an interesting set of acts, not what I could’ve guessed after Berra. But all the same my ears are yelling at me for not considering ear plugs seriously, but I’m glad that my head got to bop and my face got to contort into a stank. The music, again, if anything strikes it’s chord (ugh so cheesy I know).
part of rat club
