this was the show last night at Great Scott in Allston

Debbie from http://www.eximiousproductions.com put this show together, and it's been a while since I've seen her. We used to be in a band together called Pornbelt. She's got great taste in music, a straight shooter in her business dealings, and I think if she and I were in a drinking contest I would most certainly LOSE.

DISCLAIMER: this show was not metal. It was soooooooooooooooooo not metal. So if you love metal and hate everything else, you will hate the bands I talk about here.

CAVERNS
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comprised of Karlheinz http://www.khznoise.com/
and drummer Lex Marburger of Debbie Eximious's band The Empties
http://www.the-empties.com/ . It's been at least a year since I last saw Karl. He does a noise project with DIY keyborads, oscillators, and about a million pedals. He ain't your typical dare I saw screamo synth project though. Karl doesn't fuck around with that weak shit--listening to his stuff is like sticking your head inside an aircraft engine running full tilt. It's very angry, abrasive, fingernails-down-the-chalkboard kinda ambient drone. The addition of a drummer this time made his brief set seem even more tribal (it sort of reminded me of Hovercraft in places). He starts off slowly then builds into an almost Leviathan-y crescendo of pure HATRED. It's fun to watch him, too. I'm not going to miss anymore of his local shows if I can help it.

AMBER ASYLUM
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http://www.amberasylum.com/
All-female quartet featuring drums, bass, cello, and violin. Great sense of loud-to-quiet-and-back dynamics. They reminded me of Miranda Sex Garden (the 'Madra' CD, which is all acapella) crossed with Rasputina (but without the quirky irreverent humour Rasp use) and maybe Black Tape for a Blue Girl. Very tragic Elven lullabies. At times, they would get heavy and distorted, and that made me thirst for more of the same, but most of their material is on the quieter side. If I had a soundcard I'd be curious to see how they sound on the mp3s. They're VERY good singers and they definitely put you into a dark trance. However, I think it might take a while for them to fully grow on me. Besides, I was sort of getting into an emotional state in anticipation for Jarboe.

JARBOE
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http://www.thelivingjarboe.com/

I was told this would be mostly new material, on the mellow side. I've never seen her in person before, so I was little thrown by her Exhumed 'Anatomy is Destiny' longsleeve. She was accompanied only by Renée Nelson, the keyboardist from Envie http://www.enviemusic.com/ . Jarboe, her massive black mane covering her face and chest, put herself in the moment and began with a doleful chant much like her signature solo and Swans material, "Will you kill your heart?" (when she stepped down into the audience and sang that question of each of the people standing near the front, I nodded and answered her YEP! *smiles back, awwww*).

The rest of her set contained half new material (probably to be released this summer, check her website), a couple of old Swans numbers, and accompanied by the strings of Amber Asylum, she closed the set with 'Seizure' from the 'Neurosis/Jarboe' CD. The experience is still a little raw for me.

Jarboe's range is a combination of tender motherliness with cackled malevolent witchery. To watch her perform brought me back to the time I heard Tori Amos 'Little Earthquakes' for the first time--a report of recovery from human damage, the hurt inflicted by others (intentional or accidental), and translation of emotional purgatory into song.

It was a fitting end for a weekend of metal. After she finished there was no way I was staying for Unto Ashes, I needed to put my head away. So now it's back to the usual grind with bills, work, and that sole pocket of saving grace that is playing in my band--I knew I'd be missing Jarboe tonight at the Knitting Factory in NYC, but barely twelve hours ago I got to see one of the foremost legends of dark music, and the wounds are still fresh. What has always distinguished Jarboe from other, well . . . WHINEY bands/singers is her voice and her presence, whether live or on tape, she envelops the listener with a shared experience, and although the process may be fire and torture and mutilation and almost unimaginable debasement, recovery is assured.

you need to review for me again
i would have nabbed this one!!

I suck balls at writing. I used to be pretty good.

when she came up and sang to me i honestly thought my heart was gonna stop. it was really fucked up to have someone ive looked up to for soo long singing to me and having a seizure at my feet. i also had to leave after she played, mostly because i felt like hanging myself. in a good way, of course. ive actually never smiled so much during a show. the exhumed shirt and the leotard were also nice touches ha

amber asylum were really great, but i agree i was way more into the songs the drummer played on. i dug the tribal chamber thing they had. the violinist was fucking intense and the bass players voice was afuckingplus. i meant to buy a cd but then i remembered i meant to get a better paying job first. so that didnt work out.

the crowd was really great too, which was cool. i was kinda thinking it was gonna be a bunch of assholes great scott regulars but it seemed to be real fans which is always awesome. plus, how often do you get to see old bearded dudes openly weeping? the answer is not enough ha

sorry for being socially retarded, going up to someone i dont really know and talking to them is pretty much the biggest acomplishment of my life heh. i made a cd for you, ill give it to devon to give to you or some shit. so you can get tragic and all

hahaha, THANKS!
yeah, isn't she somethin'?

I should put on all my old SWANS CDs on random spiral repeat mode tonight

I fully forgot about this show.

so i was talking to someone and they thought they heard diamanda galas was playing soon, which i thought i heard as well. do you know anything about that? massart or some shit?

hmm--didn't see anything like that on her website.

I still have the Berklee ticket, I doubt it will be honored if she does come to town

I would have gone to this but I didn't hear about it until the day of the show.