On Sunday, April 24th, 2010, the Pandster and I went to the Melody Inn for a nice evening of good, live music. Which is pretty standard for The Melody. Let's face facts: They definitely have good taste, and they always book the coolest underground stuff.
The Melody Inn at night. Indianapolis' finest punk-rock music venue, by far.
I had to go to this show, because Red Queen Hypothesis was playing. I first saw them years ago at The Speakeasy in Muncie, and they were a ton of fun. So naturally, I was all about seeing them again. I was pretty excited, actually. Not many "local" bands have that kind of "staying power"... or, are even that "memorable" to begin with. So, yeah. I was hyped.
This "big evening out" was one of the least expensive that I've had in a while. Ten bucks at the door (for two), and a ten-buck "bar tab" (that consisted entirely of Cokes for yours truly, and Diets for The Pandster) made for a pretty easy-on-the-wallet gig. Another Melody strong-point! So: Not ony are they the coolest, they're also the cheapest. Shit, man! Nirvana has truly arrived...
The Prannies...
The "opener" for the night was The Prannies. They bill themselves as "rock/pop/americana" according to their MySpace... and, that's about right. I thought they sounded very much like Steve Miller, or Bob Seger. I don't know, man, check it out for yourself:
http://www.myspace.com/prannies
I thought they were pretty good. Not too shabs. I'd see 'em again...
Red Queen Hypothesis...
Red Queen Hypothesis has had some major lineup changes, as well as a big move from Richmond, Indiana to Indianapolis. They went from a six- or seven-piece band (with a horn section), to a power-pop trio. They still sounded great, though! Check them out, here:
http://www.myspace.com/redqueenhypothesis
I can't wait to see them again...
... and, The Shake Ups...!
But, the hands-down show-stealer of the evening, was The Shake-Ups. Everyone knew that: Even the other bands commented on how great this band was. If there's a critic that you can truly trust, it's another band. And, the crowd was all about 'em, too. Bands fanning out, plus the crowd fanning out, plus me and Pands fanning out, equals a winner in my book.
They hail from Indianapolis, which is awesome. Because, hopefully, they'll play their hometown a lot! Which also happens to be mine, so that works out pretty conveniently, doesn't it...? They're so good, that they just might be my new favorite band. Seriously...! Fun, quirky, talented, and having some of the most brilliant fucking songwriting chops that I've seen in quite some time all make for a great time, every time. No joke, check 'em out here:
http://www.myspace.com/theshakeups
Now, I'm going to be seeing this band again... this coming Friday night, actually! (May 14th) Wow, that snuck up on me mighty quick didn't it?! They're having a CD release party for their brand-new CD, "Warm Fuzzies", at the Monkey's Tale in Broad Ripple at 8:00 sharp. And, I'm definitely gonna be there. You can also check them out at:
www.theshakeups.net.
This is definitely a band that I'm gonna go see every time that I get a chance. Oh, shit! I almost forgot: They put on an awesome live show, and their set sounds ridiculously good, to boot. So, yeah... go see this band. Today, if you can...!
That'll do it for this installment. See ya at the next show...!
The Solitary Life wants to thank The Melody Inn for sticking it out for 70-plus years, and giving Indy some genuinely memorable music moments. Bottom's up, and here's to 70 more...! Also: Thanks for letting me shoot photos whenever I want; you guys are the best.
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