Fucked Up, Vincent Black Shadow, Deep Sleep and Surroundings at the Talking Head

I finally made it out of work at around 4:25 or so. It was supposed be four, but one thing led to another and I ended up stuck there late, as is per usual for a Thursday, so I was already in a shitty mood and the day wasn't even half over. I hit Jiffy Lube on the way home since a 45 minute drive to Baltimore was in the works and my car had been sounding more and more like a dying calf as the weeks went on, but eight cars in front of me and the thoughts of dealing with the guy that writes down your info, the people in the waiting room, the guy that tells you what they did to the car and the guy that takes your money was a bit much for me so I chalked one up for laziness and turned around and got the hell out of there. No fucking way. I get home in time for a quick Active Sac practice then run out for a sub, practically swallow it whole, throw the bass and head into the car and roll out. It was a little after 8. We were already supposed to be there by then so I hauled ass down 695 while my half chewed Subway Big Philly Cheesesteak tore at the walls of my stomach as if it were the final act of revenge from a poorly made and overpriced meal. This wasn't an uncommon feeling, but indigestion takes on new meaning when speeding down a crowded highway. There's no way out. You're fucked till you reach you're destination and on top of cursing yourself for the burning hell you just paid $7.99 plus tax for you have to deal with slow drivers, cops, shitty bumper stickers and badly written directions you scrawled in half-words and symbols that you don't remember the meaning of while trying to maintain a conversation with your passengers. Fuck. I finally get there and carry the shit in, go through nine or ten "Hey, how've you been, whats new, not much" conversations and finally get a chance to relax for the first time since 7 am and drink a beer and take it all in without too much interference. Surroundings hit the stage around 9:30 or so and blast through a tight set. I think that was the first time I've seen them since the Spark played with them like 4 or 5 years ago. Solid. They played around twenty minutes or so and then it was time for Deep Sleep so I got my shit together and set up. We hadn't played or practiced since a show at my house a month or so earlier when Darick fucked his shoulder up but the set went over pretty good with no major malfunctions or further injuries so we were all pretty stoked. I stepped out for a minute or two for a quick smoke and said hello to some people I had seen in a while then made it back a minute or two into Vincent Black Shadow's set. The more I see that band the more their songs catch my ear and though I wasn't really into'em before I like it more every time. They were rock solid tight and kinda remind me of Mudhoney a lot. By now the free Pabst tall cans I had gotten with drink tickets were starting to take their toll and my attention was straying to the ridiculous amount of insanely hot girls running around the place. Jesus God Almighty. Fucked Up rolled on next probably around 11:30/midnight-ish and once again, I never really gave a shit about them before but their set won me over. Of course, it also makes a difference when you get to see a band in a venue where you can hear all the instruments. Thick as hell with a solid rhythm section, pounding yet catchy songs and a very entertaining frontman who made his way at one point all the way to the back to sit at the bar without missing a beat once. I traded Jonah from the band a Head Home 12" for the new Fucked Up LP, loaded out and made my way back to the hideous cop infested streets of Westminster. Ugh. Despite seeing more cops on one stretch highway in Westminster than I did in all of Baltimore, we made it home without incident and were soon all safe in our beds with dreams of workdays and hangovers to come. Another successful night.