Nightmares Tour Update 10

Detroit the way I like it! Last night was a success on all levels. After an easy drive from Oberlin, we got to L.J.'S Lounge in perfect time, loaded in, and saw a large group of friends gathering together to meet for dinner a couple of doors down at an excellent Bar-B-Q place called Slow's. It was a beautiful, cool evening and we had a couple of large tables on the back patio, filled with 20 or so Detroit folks. That was a great way to kick off the night. L.J.'S is a trip... An old school drunk tavern but with a very accepting owner and bartender. No doubt, we made their night, but some places are so put off by the music that the bar sales do not sway them enough. Regression was up first and Nate crafted a very controlled and subtle set that incorporated tapes, electronics, and voice, and included an extremely interesting re-working of Wolf Eyes..."Dead Hills" material, if I am remembering correctly -- cleverly and conceptually supporting the Regreesion moniker. I feel like I have a better understanding of the divisions between Regression, Hatred, and his work a Nate Young. Body Collector was up next and Khristopher similarly showed restraint as he sat behind his gear. Also donning a modified guitar, he created a set of truely broken electronics, allowing sounds, loops, and pulses to slowly build up, only to squelch them and to begin the building process again. The guitar added a particulary caustic element, which he used sparingly and dramatically. The set was really nicely composed and it had a cool late-Sunday-night pacing about it. It seemed like he tapped into a similar mood to what we have been doing this week, even with an entirely different set-up. Come to think of it, Nate sort of had a parallel mood going on, too. Gate to Gate were up next and Greh and Connelly definitely went for a heavier and blacker approach. It was my first time seeing GTG so I was excited. Connelly's electronics and microphone feedback played off of Greh' electronics, guitar, and metals. Chain on sheet metal, chain on guitar pick-ups...definitely a dark and foreceful mood. Their power made me want to push our sound a bit, so with the opportunity to use both Khristopher's PA and Nate's amps, we attempted to do just that. This time out, we played four pieces, going for it a bit harder than on the previous four nights, but still trying to strike the best possible balance in our sound. I think that we achieved this, even if we went heavier on the volume, EQ, mix density, etc. I am particulary interested in hearing this recording, to get a sense of how it meshed with the others. After loading out, we headed beck to Casa Y+Z to relax and chat a bit, before crashing out. After a pleasant morning of coffee and conversation, we walked to a nearby restaurant in Mexicantown to grab some delicious breakfast. Thanks to Alivia and Nate for their kind hospitality. Thanks to Khristopher for working hard to make this show such a success. Thanks to Greh for helping get the ball rolling when we were booking. Thanks to Raina for such a generous and unexpected treat. And thanks to all of our Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Lansing, etc. friends - and even Toledo folks! - for showing such great support. It was really nice to see everyone there, not to mention some folks who I have not seen in quite a while. We are on our way back to Chicago now, and we can unload some baggage, etc., before heading on to the Viaduct.