The Bronzed Chorus and Pink Flag at Viking Storm

(The Bronzed Chorus) Let me start off by saying that I'm still not exactly sure why this thing was called Viking Storm, or what it had to do with vikings. Ultimately I don't think it matters much because everyone got into the viking theme (plenty of horned hats everywhere), I got to see one of my favorite bands from last year, and I also got to go to the Pinhook for the first time. Let's talk about the Pinhook for just a minute. I liked this place quite a bit. It's pretty centrally located (I found it easily from the Durham Freeway), nicely decorated with red walls and well-preserved vintage furniture, and has a well-stocked bar with some high-end items such as MaCallan, which my companions eagerly indulged in (I was driving, so I just observed). And I may be wrong about this, but I think they had Aveda soap in the ladies room. But the owners of the Pinhook seriously need to do something about the lighting situation above the stage. Basically, other than an old living room lamp that looks like it was dug out of a dumpster behind the Goodwill, and the weak light of the exit sign on the back wall, there is no light above the stage. And that's kind of weird because the rest of the club seems to be fairly well lit. That means if you're watching the band, you don't get to see much, and if you're in the band, you hardly see anything. At one point the guitar player for The Bronzed Chorus had to borrow someone's cell phone to throw enough light on his pedals to see what he was doing. During Pink Flag, the lighting situation wasn't much of an issue because several folks, including yours truly, were busy snapping flash photos around them. So even though this video of them performing "Haunted" is incredibly dark, you can actually see a little bit of what's going on, just because of all the flashes going off.
Pink Flag - "Haunted" from Mann's World on Vimeo. Next up were The Bronzed Chorus from Greensboro, who I loved just as much as when I saw them last year at Tir na Nog. More people were watching the band, but fewer taking photos, so this one is almost totally dark. I did pan to a couple of viking-hat-wearing fans in front of the stage who were getting INTO it. But other than that, there really isn't much on this video to see.
The Bronzed Chorus - "Underpass Surprise" from Mann's World on Vimeo. Caverns and Tooth played afterward, but we headed back to Raleigh. Hammer No More the Fingers is playing Duke Coffeehouse tonight in celebration of their CD-release.

I may have a new favorite band

If you follow me on twitter, you know that I finally did something I've been planning to do for a while: I tweeted from a show. The show in question was Pink Flag and Whatever Brains at Tir na Nog last Thursday, and the reason is that Pink Flag absolutely rules. Seriously, I hate to gush because that kind of sounds simultaneously insincere and groupie-like, but I just can't think of enough good things to say about this band. First off, they're girls, and of course, I love to see girls because, honestly, it brings back fond memories of my own band days. They're cute and innocent and a little dorky, which is generally a formula for really crappy musicianship, but Pink Flag can actually play. The guitarist and bass player are really good; the drummer is great, plus she smiles the whole time and looks like she's having the time of her life. And they can all sing, and often sing together. I could start trying to connect what they're doing to the whole Riot Grrrl, and try to say something insightful about how they're the daughters of the original movement, but really all you need to know is that they rock. This clip is called "Dirty Hair Party."
Pink Flag from Mann's World on Vimeo. After getting all excited over Pink Flag, you'd think I'd be really pumped up for Whatever Brains, who are pretty much the most talked-about band in Raleigh right now, but they honestly had no impact on me whatsoever. I didn't like them, and I didn't dislike them. They were just kind of there. But I was obviously alone in my opinion because they had a pretty big audience who were all into what they were doing. I'll check them out again and see if they eventually affect me one way or the other.
Whatever Brains from Mann's World on Vimeo. See more photos.