Day Two: Hollywood Alley, Mesa, AZ

Posted on 13. Mar, 2009 by spencer in Music, SXSW

It's actually pretty cool to drive all the way from Hollywood, CA to play Hollywood Alley in Mesa, AZ. It would have been cooler if the opening local band hadn't canceled, but when you're on the road you get what you get. In this case, Hollywood Alley, a dark bar with classic movie posters, a good stage and a smattering of locals.

As we arrived, fellow Los Angeles band Opus Dai were just beginning their set. My fears of the band being just another shitty image-conscious new-school/screamo band melted away as their singer began to belt out actual melodies with a range that favored his well-practiced falsetto. No, Opus Dai were a very good image-conscious new-school band, more along the lines of Circa Survive, but with a flair for Led Zeppelin-like riffs.

You can talk mad shit, but honestly, you can't really fault a band for having a calculated look and stage presence. If their bassist and guitarist's spring-loaded headstock-down/headstock-up moves weren't choreographed, they were at least well-practiced. Their drummer also refused to follow the rule in the Rock Bible about 'thou shalt not have more cymbals than you do limbs,' but to his credit he used them all, necessarily or not.

Opus Dai killed it and left the crowd of about 20 waiting for some equally powerful new-school melodipunk…SORRY! Nope, it was a goofy, banter-filled Fortress of Attitude show and most of the crowd—most of whom were assuredly friends/former tourmates of Opus Dai—immediately fucked off. The few who stayed were into it…or at least too drunk to care what we sounded like. I believe the quote from the cute-ish Asian chick who made the most noise was “I am BEYOND drunk.”

After five or six songs we concluded our set by performing the “Enchantment Under The Sea Dance” scene from Back To The Future, much to the delight of the sound guy, bar owner/bartender Ross and few members of Opus Dai who stuck around to watch us.

Whatever, we left laughing. We may have lost the crowd and one whacky noodle to some drunk who walked off with it, but we got paid gas money and I was able to fish a lost guitar stand out of the stage's forgotten gear bone yard, thus continuing the slow migration of non-essential equipment around the country. When life hands you lemons you say, “No thanks… Hey, is it cool if I snag that guitar stand that's just gathering dust? I lost mine at the last gig… Oh, and how'd we do at the door?"

more photos after jump...

Dr. Genius

Buck Knuckle needs no strap:

At least Opus Dai's bassist LOL'd at our Back To The Future skit...