5GB With Mewithoutyou; Playing Black Cat, May 17th
What’s the first gig you ever attended?
That’s a tricky question, technically it was the New Kids On The Block but I wouldn’t necessarily call that a gig. The first real concert I went to where I felt that it had some kind of impact on my life was Lollapalooza 94. Among many many many great artists, I got to see the Pumpkins, the Beastie Boys, the Breeders, Boredoms, Flaming Lips, Tribe. It was a really special event being that I was in the seventh grade. My father took me and a friend to some open field in the rain to lurch around the mud and watch generation X first hand. Throughout the day, he would do a pronounced sniff directed at Tim and I saying “smell that (sniff sniff), that’s marijuana”. Had he never told me, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Prior to this concert, I was not aware that bands cursed at their audience over the microphone in between songs, Billy Corgan’s gratuitous use of the F word though exciting, left me slightly uncomfortable.
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed?
One show that comes to mind as sort of career defining moment was our record release show for It’s All Crazy. I think it was three years ago to this May. For one, we sold out the Trocadero. I’ve seen every one of my favorite bands at the Troc at some point in my life. It was a childhood dream to be up on that stage playing to a packed house. Two, the crowd was explosive, we’ve never received so much enthusiastic emotion. Three, the band was just on in a way that we never were before. Everything was clicking right as we rolled through the set. And lastly, a good amount of friends and family were on hand to enjoy the experience with us. It had all the makings of a top notch show and lived beyond all of our expected fantasy to just not have the place looking empty.
Philadelphia rockers, Mewithoutyou, have be making music for over a decade, and got an assist from Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams on their standout new album, in Bigger Than the Sound. They’re at Black Cat tonight, and they chatted with us before the show.
What is the best gig you have ever seen?
This is another freak question because of the volume of shows I have attended. Man, picking one, it’s almost impossible! If I have to, it would probably be Feist at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, sometime in 2010. The venue was gorgeous, the sound was perfect, the show was unpredictable, and she alone was enthralling. I got every ounce of worth out of that night. It was one of those shows that make you question your own musical abilities inspiring you to step up your game. The whole package was perfect. Aside from that particular show, some other notables are Animal Collective in LA 2007, Interpol/Blonde Red head at the Electric Factory 2005, Radiohead in Toronto 2000 & Weezer at the Tower sometime in 1995.
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
Dream line up? I would be wholly satisfied to the grave if we could get a slot on a singular Fugazi show. I am not sure that they are even broken up but if they ever play shows again, that’s it. Playing for a half hour before them once would please us greatly. I can’t think of any other bands that I would want to share a stage with more. Playing drums for a two living member reunion of Nirvana is another fantasy of mine, of course Krist Novoselic doing the bass and Dave Grohl playing Kurt. I’d like to think that I can hang.
Catch JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound Tonight May 16th at Black Cat
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