Cultural Event #8 – Crappy Music

I met some friends at the Pontiac Bar in Wicker Park Saturday night. We were there to hear some band playing that was a friend of a friend, or something. We sat outside instead, the music was some kind of alt-country chick-rockin’-out music that I don’t care for. Not even sure what the band was called. Then the outdoor patio closed (at midnight, Chicago law, grrr…) and we had to go inside. The Pontiac has the ambiance of an old dirty garage, in case you’ve never been there. The second band to go on was called “Tank Engine” and it was absolutely horrid. It was a two-person band with the girl on drums. I hate two-person bands (unless it’s electronic music), the sound is just too thin and simple for my tastes. This band apparently thought of themselves as quirky and punky. They were just cacophonous. Neither one could sing in tune, and it was so noisy, with so much unpleasant feedback, my ears were shredded. I don’t mind having my ears shredded by noise if it’s something I want to hear, but this was ridiculous. I kind of felt bad – everyone in the place was crammed as far away from the band as possible, and only about two people were clapping. They would open their songs with lame lines like “Has anyone ever been on a spaceship? This song is about our trip on a spaceship.” Like I said, I feel bad for ripping on some “struggling artists” but these guys should keep their day jobs.