Dinosaur in Trouble: proudly serving Twin Cities music geeks

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Rock for Roe

Six years ago, when George W. Bush was running for president, the majority of Americans were fully aware that he could cause serious harm to our country and the world if he were elected. Well, he lost the election, but he became our president anyway. As shitty as that was, even the most cynical among us wouldn’t have predicted that things would be this bad six years down the road. The Bush Administration has proven that it has nothing but utter contempt for our environment, our education system, our constitution, our economy, our foreign relations, our soldiers, our health, our poor, our minorities, and our women. So it only figures that W would also get the opportunity to appoint two new justices to the Supreme Court. With the Supreme Court playing directly into the Bush Administration’s hands, there are now fewer checks and balances safeguarding the common person from dangerous right-wing interests than ever before.

In such a dire situation, fewer and fewer people are taking our remaining freedoms for granted. People are recognizing the positive aspects of our country and celebrating them while there’s still something to celebrate. That’s what the Rock for Roe concerts at the Triple Rock on January 22nd were all about. January 22nd was the 33rd anniversary of the pivotal Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Roe vs. Wade did more than legalize abortion; it forced our government to recognize that women are fully capable of making intelligent decisions about their own lives. That’s definitely something worth celebrating. And since Roe vs. Wade is one of the many valuable decisions that could be revisited by this meaner, uglier Supreme Court, we better party like it’s 1999.

With two shows featuring some of the best bands in the Twin Cities, Rock for Roe was an extremely successful celebration (it also raised money for the Minnesota Pro-Choice Coalition). I attended the earlier, all-ages show, and it was a blast. But how could it not be? The Haves Have It played! This show carried some extra significance because it also served as the official release party for The Haves Have It’s brand-new EP. Do whatever you can to get your hands on this EP; it is the coolest thing ever.


The Haves Have It

Hip-hoppers the Unknown Prophets hit the stage next. It’s funny, a bunch of my students told me that they heard the Unknown Prophets on a top-40 radio station doing a spoof of some song I don’t know and don’t care to know. Sounds kind of stupid, but hey, if it’s getting the kids to pay attention to local hip-hop, I guess I’m OK with it. Fortunately, I didn’t see any of my students at the show.

The Shim Sham Shufflers, who entertained us with mildly provocative tap dancing between each set, cleared way for another high-profile hip-hop act: Dessa and Cecil Otter from Doomtree. They were spittin’ without a DJ that night, which one would think would decrease the possibility of technical difficulties. Not so. Dessa brought the wrong CD – some of the beats already had vocals dubbed over them. The second time we heard double Dessa, Cecil spit his beer all over the place in a fit of laughter. So instead of pulling an Ashlee Simpson, Dessa shut off the CD player in favor of a cappella spoken word (which is what she excels at anyway).


Dessa and Cecil Otter

Belles of Skin City topped off the all-ages show by wowing the crowd with their droll wit, quirky vocals, and trashcan percussion. It’s true, the guys in Belles of Skin City probably will never have to worry about getting pregnant, but they had just as much reason to celebrate Roe vs. Wade as everyone else in the audience did. The night was all about appreciating the things that make this country great. Yeah, horrible things are happening every day, but at least, for the time being, we still have Roe vs. Wade and indie rock.


Belles of Skin City

Archives:
The Haves Have It @ Dino Porno #3
The Haves Have It @ Club Underground: December 14, 2005
The Haves Have It @ The Triple Rock: September 15, 2005
The Haves Have It @ The Triple Rock: August 12, 2005
The Haves Have It @ The 7th Street Entry: July 9, 2005
The Haves Have It @ house party: May 21, 2005
Doomtree @ Nomad World Pub: July 21, 2005

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi! This isn't anything to do with Rock for Roe, but the nicest thing just happened to me, and it's sort of because of you!

I ordered my copy of 'More Deep Cuts' from the Turn Records website and (even though they do this for everyone probably) I was so pleased to find a hand-written note from Joe at Turn thanking me for my order and reminding me to order my copy of TMS ep that's coming out soon, and he sent me another cd by this band called the Contrails just because "he thought I might like it."

Now if that's not lovely, I don't know what is.

Thanks for your continuing effort to make people aware of the great music out there.

-Ellie

9:58 PM

 
Blogger chris said...

lee,

sorry for being a creepy outside commenting on your blog, but i saw you're from mpls and an educator and dig the instrumental music. i'm 2 out of the 3 of those and am currently a student teacher. PLUS i have a blog and a radio show on RADIO K called NOW LIKE PHOTOGRAPHS (www.nowlikephotographs.com) that specializes in instrumental music. i highly encourage you to check it out. thanks for reading.

10:47 PM

 
Blogger Lee said...

Wow, I'm glad to see that people haven't forgotten about me even though I haven't posted anything in a minute (that's slang for "a very long time"). But, for the fifty or so bands I've neglected in my absence, I promise I'll at least get some pictures up of your shows. Soon.

Ellie, nice to hear from you again. Thee More Shallows is the champion of all music. It makes me very happy to know that I'm finally starting to get through to some people.

Chris, of course I listen to your show. You do an excellent job serving a genre that has been severely cheated by the restrictions of even the most daring radio stations. On a related side note, I actually saw The Six Parts Seven perform "Now Like Photographs" at SXSW last year. Pretty cool.

9:28 PM

 
Blogger chris said...

thanks lee! yeah i was totally there watching 6parts7 at sxsw as well. so amazing. i wish i could go again this year.

8:41 PM

 
Blogger Chris said...

Lee, this is God speaking...you must update soon!

Just kidding, it's Chris here, and my brain is mush. Hope you're feeling better...and I'm NOT kidding about you updating soon....whatever.

10:38 PM

 

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2006

I blame Dinosaur in Trouble’s lack of activity entirely on Dance Dance Revolution. I would have promptly written about all the shows I’ve attended this year if it wasn’t for this damn video game consuming my life. But hey, at least I’m getting my exercise. And don’t worry; I’ll let you all know when I’m having my next DDR party.

Anyway…Dinosaur in Trouble’s new year officially began on January 14th with a monstrous show at the Entry. A handful of Dinosaur in Trouble endorsed bands playing in Dinosaur in Trouble’s venue of choice – the perfect way to ring in 2006.

The biggest treat of the night was definitely the Tin Horns. I thought for sure they were a goner. Their demise was even noted in the City Pages’ 2005 Local Music Yearbook. Thankfully, the Tin Horns are back in action and better than ever. The band’s near-death experience must have awoken a sense of urgency in the Tin Horns. The energy that they invested into their music on the night of the 14th suggested that the Tin Horns were far from taking their unique chemistry for granted. Awesome.


Tin Horns

Next was the band that nabbed the coveted #8 spot on Dinosaur in Trouble’s Top 10 Albums of 2005. I know that I’m not the only music geek who holds the STNNNG in such lofty esteem. Their set at the Entry proved that the STNNNG are a very deserving target of all this heaping praise. Plus, they’re crazy, which is always fun.


STNNNG

Grimy garage rockers, Bridge Club, rounded off the night of amazing local rock. I would normally feel sorry for a band who had to follow the STNNNG and Tin Horns, but Bridge Club were able to hold their own. Very satisfying set. I also have to mention that Bridge Club’s song “Rick James” (which they played that night) is the only proper tribute to the Motown legend. MC Hammer just isn’t as appealing as he was when I was a kid, and sorry to say, but Chappelle’s Show wasn’t really that funny.


Bridge Club

Even though I missed the first two bands (Spider Fighter and Story of the Sea), and I was too tired to stick around for much of the closing act (metal cover band, World of Hurt), I still left the venue with a very positive outlook on 2006. Dance Dance Revolution and the greatest music scene in the world, what more could I ask for?

Archives:
Tin Horns @ The Triple Rock: August 12, 2005
Tin Horns @ The Hexagon Bar: March 26, 2005
Tin Horns @ The Triple Rock: February 14, 2005
STNNNG @ Top 10 Albums of 2005
STNNNG @ The 7th Street Entry: May 28, 2005

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