Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Monday Night Rock Stars
Managed to get out to see my friends' band Freak Parade play at the Roxy, in Prague's Old Town last night. They are probably my favorite band here and one of my favorites anywhere. This isn't just because they're friends. I discovered the music before I met the members. Found their first CD, I Don't Think So in a discount bin at Bonton Music, the Czech equivilant of a Musicland or Virgin. The group's mixture of foreign and Czech names sounded good, so I bought it without even bothering to listen to it. The first track "Can't Kill Bill" (recorded in 1996, years before Tarantino sucessfully killed him) a hard, fast punk ballad delivered by lead singer Becki Eastwood, blew me away, and I was hooked.
Some years later, I'm living in Baku but visiting Prague. I'm at a friend's house, and we're sitting around the table talking about music, and I go into my Czech band discovery speel, and how this music is my salvation now that I live in a country where the only modern western (non jazz) musician in living memory to play a concert there was Coolio (and yes, I did go) when the girl sitting with us looks at me dumbfounded and tells me that this is her band.
At first I'm not sure what she means by her band--so she explains: I'm the lead singer.
Now it's my turn to be dumfounded--Really? You mean the Freak Parade that sing:
So I'm driving down the street and I'm looking for some fun
Gotta big fat joint and a red hot gun
Pop a few bennies and I'm feeling No.1 and I gotta kill Bill, cause I gotta kill someone...
I'm the first fan who ever sang Becki a Freak Parade song back to her. We've been friends ever since.
In addition to Becki the band includes Mike, a big friendly guy from Tennesee, who pronounces antenna "antanna" and pillow "pella'. He writes most of the songs; Earnest, a quiet, thoughtful guitarist from South Central LA; Barny, the Czech drummer who's only just been back with the band after his dog mauled his hand and Chilli, aka Dutch Paul, who I've known for years and yet never knew the guy could play guitar--and he can play guitar.
The show was great. The Roxy is a pretty big venue and they managed to get a good 300 or so people there. I was tasked with filming the evening. That only lasted about 20 minutes before I was able to delegate the task to my friend who actually knows how to hold a camera. Then I was free to flail. Didn't drink so much but managed to stay out until around 3. So much for an early Monday.
Some years later, I'm living in Baku but visiting Prague. I'm at a friend's house, and we're sitting around the table talking about music, and I go into my Czech band discovery speel, and how this music is my salvation now that I live in a country where the only modern western (non jazz) musician in living memory to play a concert there was Coolio (and yes, I did go) when the girl sitting with us looks at me dumbfounded and tells me that this is her band.
At first I'm not sure what she means by her band--so she explains: I'm the lead singer.
Now it's my turn to be dumfounded--Really? You mean the Freak Parade that sing:
So I'm driving down the street and I'm looking for some fun
Gotta big fat joint and a red hot gun
Pop a few bennies and I'm feeling No.1 and I gotta kill Bill, cause I gotta kill someone...
I'm the first fan who ever sang Becki a Freak Parade song back to her. We've been friends ever since.
In addition to Becki the band includes Mike, a big friendly guy from Tennesee, who pronounces antenna "antanna" and pillow "pella'. He writes most of the songs; Earnest, a quiet, thoughtful guitarist from South Central LA; Barny, the Czech drummer who's only just been back with the band after his dog mauled his hand and Chilli, aka Dutch Paul, who I've known for years and yet never knew the guy could play guitar--and he can play guitar.
The show was great. The Roxy is a pretty big venue and they managed to get a good 300 or so people there. I was tasked with filming the evening. That only lasted about 20 minutes before I was able to delegate the task to my friend who actually knows how to hold a camera. Then I was free to flail. Didn't drink so much but managed to stay out until around 3. So much for an early Monday.
# posted by VMH @ 3:15 PM 
