~4/17/02-Yet another older show review. Dignen, 6 Minute Heartstop, Grey is Gray.~

This was another local show hosted at the Domino room, Friday March 15th 2002. I'd previously seen Dignen during their last show in Bend, when they played with Everyday Victory, Longshot, and The Secludes. I was really impressed with their stuff and picked up their CD-which I recommend all of you do as well. Grey is Gray opened and put on a good show as per usual. Go local boys!! Dignen then took the stage and started off on another incredible show. I hate trying to classify music, as the best music is made up of a ton of different styles. Dignen reminds me almost of a new-wave band playing emo for some reason. Throw in some random screaming of the lyrics, turn the mood a bit darker, and shake well. It doesn't seem that the crowds get too into their stuff in this town, and this show would have made me cry for the band if I was a super emo kid. The majority of the fucks in the audience talked during the whole show, and being that Dignens sound is a bit softer and quieter this meant that instead of hearing just the bands superb playing I had to listen to the complete bastards around me talking about meaningless shit. The sound of the audience should never ever compete with the band for who's louder, but unfortunately at this show it did. Now maybe I'm weird, but I go to a show for the music. Socializing is fine, but there must be a better place for interesting conversation than 15 feet away from a giant MOTHERFUCKING SPEAKER!!!! Ok, ok, I'm calmer now….At any rate Dignen put on another wonderful show, and I look forwards to their next trip to Bend. At this time the headache I'd been fighting all day decided to come back, and I didn't pay much attention to 6 Minute Heartstop. First impressions didn't leave me too excited for their sound, but I know this is due to the headache I was sporting and the distaste I had for the talkative crowd. 6 Minute Heartstop will be playing again in Bend with Himsa on the 19th, so head on down to the Domino Room and check them out.

~Next day, the 18th....Stalins War, Confederats, Holden Caufield, Banned.~

The “Soberguy” title was in full effect on this night, as my fellow show buddies had all started the evening out with a little Vodka and blue Gatorade. Jon, Randall, Stephanie and I headed down to the show, and wound up getting there late-completely missing the ConfedeRats. This was fucked, as they were the one band we really wanted to see. (Damn your drinking! Ha!) We were able to catch a few songs from the Stalins War set, unfortunately not enough to really get a feel for their music. I liked what I heard though. Then the local favorites Holden Caufield played, followed by Banned. Now, for some reason all the posters that I’d seen around town had STALINS WAR in big letters across the tops of them. This led me to believe that Stalins War would be the headlining band. Yet they were second? Am I just easily confused? Was this a bizzarro show where everything’s backwards and the good bands play first and the bad bands play last? I just wasn’t impressed with Holden Caufield that night. They’re a great band, and they played well, and if I was in the right mood I’d probably dig it quite a bit. The crowd seems to like them at least. And Banned was just too fucking loud. It just sounded bad in that venue, or their shit was off or something. With my earplugs in I could just hear a steady bass roar over everything else, and got that bowel loosening feeling that comes from sitting too near speakers. I even had to dispense earplugs from the Bag. Something that has never happened unless we’re going out shooting. Oh well, it’s another Bend show. Something I want to see more of so I’ll keep supporting them.