Freakfest in Madison is nationally known for its debauchery and mayhem. Tens of thousands of people flock to Wisconsin's finest city donned it their favorite Halloween costume roaming State Street to revel in a joyous celebration of life. This year was no different. So say 38,000+ people.
The Tenenbaums were on full display again this year. Me as Chas, Jason as Richie, and Karolyn as Margot. I must admit the appeal of these costumes comes from the strangers that greet us with an awed expression of recognition. It's been a few years since the movie aired but it's always satisfying when someone stops you to display their sincere gratitude for the exhibition of memorable characters. And it's secretly appealing to see the infrequency of mimicking. We only saw three other instances of our garb; none as convincing. Two pairs of Richie and Margot and a solo Chas. No other trios. Still I yearn for a more complete representation. Perhaps I can convince my other friends someday. (NB: Carson and Sonja make an awesome Ari and Uzi but they're way too young to cruise the scene with us.)
Aside from the costumes, State Street is replete with live bands. Many are local bands but the headliners are nationally known. This year the main band was O.A.R. They suck. Of course that's my opinion but I'm pretty sure I speak for the entire country when I say that. Actually they're not bad; they're just not good in any way. The highlight for me was The Box Social. Unfortunately it was their last show ever. Which is completely sad because they were just starting to break it big. They've toured nationally (I saw them in San Diego twice!) and they earned a coveted invitation to Summerfest in Milwaukee (the nation's largest musical festival) this past summer.
The Capital Times reported on the occasion: [The Box Social, which has been one of Madison's most popular bands in recent years, played their last show at Freakfest. The band is splitting up because the four members are "all moving in completely opposite directions right now, and you just can't be a cohesive unit when that's happening," as they write on their Myspace page. "We don't hate each other -- in fact, we'll probably become better friends now that this is over."
For the last time, the Box Social ripped it up for an jumping crowd with "I Hate My F***ing Job." A drunk random swayed on one side of the stage, doing a little air guitar for effect. He was wearing a wife-beater tank top with holes scissored out for his nipples.]
That random drunk was actually the lead singer's brother and his "costume" was hilarious and the epitome of drunken laziness. Mountain-larious, if you will. Apologies to all the wives that get beat. The reporter must have ditched early because about a dozen other "random drunks" were summoned to the stage by the lead singer, much to the dismay of Security, to do nothing but act energetic and stupid. I was not one of them though I could have been. I was too busy moshing and soaking in what I knew was their last show. Ambivalence ruled the night.
They played my favorite song, Hot Damn!, the song that attracted me to them in the first place. It contains a prevalent cowbell and I had hoped I would be asked to stage to play it. I almost asked them to do that but I didn't want to attract attention to me during their last night on stage. How egotistical would that have been? A couple of days later I hung out with them at a local bar and proposed my delinquent desire. "Absolutely!" was the emphatic reaction. What awesome dudes! I'm quite confident I'll be asked to play a reunion gig sometime in the future.
All in all, it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. That's not a statement I throw around loosely. I've seen a ton of live shows. I've seen The Smashing Pumpkins before they hit big, drinking beer with Billy, D'Arcy, James, and Jimmy after the gig. I've seen Live at Street Scene bring Dennis Rodman on stage. I've SoCal'd moshed to Social Distortion (the only time I ditched an absolute, drop-dead gorgeous hottie for a band and the only time I was worried for my safety but, man, was that fun!). I've seen Dramarama at a Jersey Shore bar reminiscent of the scene in Roadhouse where the band was separated by a chain link fence with beer bottles getting chucked at them. By the way, alcohol you don't buy but ends up on your body washes off quite easily I discovered. The glass shards are a different story though.
In addition to their songs, they laid down the most exquisite version of Life During Wartime I've ever witnessed. It was their penultimate song. (What a sublime word, penultimate.) That threw me for a loop. I knew they did covers: I Need To Know, Refugee (the lead singer is fueled by Tom Petty), Having An Average Weekend (c'mon, now, you know this...it's the The Kids In The Hall theme song). But I never thought a rockin' version of a Talking Heads song I never identified with would satiate my indie punkness. It did. In spades.
Did I mention all the band members came out in costume? I can't say I saw every band that night but I didn't see another band attempt a costume. That's really weird when you realize EVERYONE on State Street is in costume. No one attends Freakfest without a costume. The drummer wore a full-body dog costume. The bass player wore a bee outfit. The circumference around the midsection made me wonder how he could play. But he could and it was "cute," so says Karolyn. She also noted you could see his "package." I don't know what she was talking about but then again she thinks he was the cute one of the band. The lead guitarist dressed in an ironic college Republican outfit, sporting a fake McCain-Palin button. And the lead singer did a cool Max Fischer, though later it was revealed it was simply a guy-going-to-a-funeral. How sad! Last show = funeral.
The good news is that the lead singer is soldiering on full speed ahead with music. He was the main songwriter and most of the songs they were working on for their next album will be released by his solo venture. The drummer is moving to Washington despite statements from that state that they're chuck full of Brian's. The bass player is moving to Austin, pending a girlfriend's acceptance to dental school. And the lead guitarist is pursuing music with another Wisconsin-based band.
I still haven't wrapped my arms completely around the termination of my favorite band of the last couple of years. But I did wrap my arms around Nick (the lead singer/songwriter) when he left the bar. Afterwards, Jason asked me why we treated the bar experience as if someone died. I didn't have an answer. I couldn't refute the death factor in the air. I know their songs will live on perpetually in my playlists but knowing nothing new will surface pains me. I guess that's life at its prime. And I thank them deeply and sincerely for it!
A local San Diego radio station occasionally hosts an event on the weekends where listeners schlubs get to own the airwaves for an hour. It's called Coup d'Etat. All you have to do is be an "insider" (ie, give 'em your email address and demo info), submit 10 songs, and pray you get picked. For the first time I will attempt to earn this righteous honor. And I need some input. Below is a list of songs I am considering at this point. Please provide feedback as appropriate. I know there are more than 10 songs. Don't provide *that* feedback. Just help me compile an non-un-pickable list.
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