8MM AT MOLLY MALONE’S ON FAIRFAX
Damn, I was looking forward to a cold bottle of Harp on tap and a shot of Bushmills. But we get to Molly Malone’s over on Fairfax and I realize I’ve forgotten my wallet. Ha ha. How the hell am I going to even get in the bar, let alone weasel a drink out of someone? But luckily, Sean Beavan, producer/engineer/all around nice guy/guitarist for the band 8mm, is standing right outside the door, and he guides me past the heavy checkpoint and on into the degenerate darkness of the main bar area. See, I am cool because I Know People.
I’m here to see 8mm, a band that once could have qualified as trip hop but has now expanded themselves to a 3 piece with a live drummer. They still have the editing rig up on stage for backing vocals, effects, etc, but the live drummer really opens them up and makes them bigger, fuller and more rawk. Sean and his wife Juliet create a very alluring, sexy scene up on stage, and as I look around the room, I’m not surprised to see the beginnings of what will turn out later on to be a really fabulous orgy. Just kidding. I forgot my wallet- I wouldn’t even be able to enjoy myself safely if an orgy broke out. Did you know that carrying a condom in one’s wallet is actually bad for the condom? It causes it to break more easily.
But I digress. 8mm has been playing concerts around the world for about four years now, I believe. They started out as just the hubby and wife playing very dark cabaret style trippy hop with Sean’s amazing lead guitar lines spidering out while Juliet’s sultry vocals rode on top of them. They’ve played down in South America, over in London, and across the U.S. They had a song on the Mr. and Mrs. Smith soundtrack, sequenced right after the song by Atreyu, which made the 8mm song (a cover of Carly Simon’s “The Spy Who Loved Me”) sound that much better.
Tonight the crowd is wild and a tad unruly and ready to listen to songs from their newly released album Songs To Love And Die By. We get a sampling of dark sadness (“Liar”), anthemic calls to arms sung by Sean in a shockingly pretty voice (“Forever and Ever Amen”), and the stunning “Stunning.” We get Sean’s endless, savage guitar ride that closes “Angel” and we get to watch Juliet as she slinks and prowls around the stage in a very tight black dress that accentuates her amazing voice. All in all, a very good night out, and I got some weirdo to buy me two beers! Awesome.
Check out 8mm at www.myspace.com/8mm .
Recent Comments