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Make-Out Room September 17, 2000 Review by Squid A night at The Make-Out Room is like a surreal cross between Twin Peaks (red velvet curtains) and a 50's Youth Club (lotsa boys in black rimmed glasses). It's like a rumpus room...with liquor. You're guaranteed to see old pals you haven't seen in ages and meet new people who inevitably know you in some degree of separation. Was it a wedding? A party? Work function? Whatever. Keep talking to the person next to you at the bar, and at some point you're going to have a friend in common. It's touching stuff, we mean it. And you really couldn't ask for a better way to end your weekend than listening to John Darnielle, aka Shrimper Records' legendary Mountain Goats. No matter how jaded we all get, there's nothing as disarming as a single person with a guitar who has the talent to deliver perfect songs and even more perfect lyrics. John's narratives are simultaneously original and hysterically funny, ala The Silver Jews' David Berman. By the time you've taken a breath from laughing, he's already zoomed on to the next punchline with that sharp, clear tenor of his. His newsletter, Plane to Jakarta, is on sale at the illustrious Aquarius Records. The Daz Report on Virginia Dare: a slower tempo than usual, sultry and sexy to match the September heatwave...with a drummer for the first time in the 8 or so years (Thank you, Mr. Statham) that Daz has known them. Squid felt like a little kid up past her bedtime, legs swinging off the pool table while watching V. Dare play to a packed house of beer-swiggers sitting cross-legged on the floor. Even The Dancing Girl, in her skintight lavender leather pants seemed more sweet than dangerous on this happy occasion. The evening kicked off with Franklin Bruno, front man of Nothing Painted Blue. An impressive voice and a good guitar player. He also came back out at the end of the night to perform a few songs with John, some of which are featured on two 7" (and a forthcoming album) they've released together as, "The Extra Glenns", available at the same place you can purchase their solo efforts: Absolutely Kosher Records. |