Comets on Fire, anyone, anyone?

[Sir HC]

Ottobar sunday.  I want to be there.  I should be there.  Anyone else?

[dumpkopf]

I'd like to depends on work situations....

[snailhook]

i'll be there...and i'm seeing them in philly the night before. two of my favorite bands at the moment.

[Jaguär]

Their shows run too damned late to have to get up hours later to fit in a whole week of work.   :confused:

[shoot ur shot]

COMETS ON FIRE FUKTSHiTUPPPPP last night at the ottobar.. when they 1st hit the stage I was thinkin whoaa.. "are these guys on drugs man? I dont remember their records being this intense." very wild balls-out rawk. The crowd somehow managed to be (inappropriately!)well behaved with all the madness going on onstage. I will say though that COF could benefit from using the lighter parts of their songs as bridges in between the psychotic parts so they don't have to stop in between songs. I know thats easier said than done but I think.. no, i KNOW they could pull it off if they really wanted to.
 
 Growing had a really good set but I didnt think they were loud enough for the kind of music they were playing to be really effective, but it had more to do with ottobar's pa than anything. So for now Id say Growing isnt really making me change how I hear minimalist inspired guitar music. Ive heard the recordings and felt this way before but thought maybe seeeing them live would change my mind. So for now, I prefer their brothers in ambient doom, SUNN O))) because they are all about bowelmoving POWER haha.

[Sir HC]

Growing had some amp problems (the one bass cabinet was not working) so that could be some of the volume issues.  
 
 Comets, I thought looked a lot more "regular" than I expected.  Are the bassist and second guitarist brothers?  They looked nearly identical.
 
 I thought they put on a great show, there was some energy from the crowd, more than what you would see in DC, the headbangers were up front, with the one drunk asking for CCR songs.  The band was manic, jumping around, having a good old time flailing away.  The mix was not the best (where was that snare and why were the toms so loud) but the band overcame all.
 
 Growing were interesting, not really my bag but they were enjoyable for the time they played.

[shoot ur shot]

Thanks for that Growing tidbit- thought something might have been up but got up close and couldnt detect any amp problems from where I was standing so I was quick to blame the clubs pa. My mistake. Although I didnt think Comets were loud enough either....
 
 To my knowledge, Ben Chasny (guitar) doesn't have any relation to Ben Chasman (bass) but they have strikingly similar names dont they?! Noel, the ex-allman brother on the echoplex (and drums on some tunes) was trippin me out man. Him and Chasny definitely rocked the hardest on the stage. I completley agree about the snare sounding thin to inaudible though. "pussy foot the duke" didnt really sound so hot either.. with those tiny quibs aside, comets are my new rock god heroes and im looking forward to seeing them get even better in the coming years.

[HoyaSaxa03]

i have "blue cathedral" and really like it .... what do i get next?

[Sir HC]

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
  i have "blue cathedral" and really like it .... what do i get next?

I would say the first one, self-titled.  It is easier to get.
 
 I have years of mixing so I am pretty critical of the soundman when I think they are failing.  He was not with the bands and never did much to keep the guitars up in the mix (or down as when one would be brutally loud compared to the other), always had the vocals low, and as you say never got the band loud as a headliner should be.  With Growing they had some problems, mostly because they need to organize their stuff better.  Cables just stuffed in a bag is not a good way to tour.

[snailhook]

correction: the bassist is named ben fleischman, not chasman. he is not related to ben chasny, but they do look strangely similar.
 
 i guess i am in the minority here, but i actually thought growing sounded fine. perhaps i am used to subpar sound with them; the previous night, they played an art gallery in philly, whose PA was nowhere near as good as the ottobar's (growing's set was also interrupted by power going out mid-set). the ottobar also sounded better than both of the times i've booked them at the warehouse, which doesn't have a great soundsystem either. that set was the best of the five times i've seen growing and i was really riding the drone. i think they're as good as sunno))) in what they do (their overall mood/ambience is a bit lighter but no less intense). the best way to experience growing is to stand right in front of them and soak in the frequencies. if you're in the back of the room, it's easy to be distracted and uninterested.
 
 as far as sound problems goes, the guys haven't figured out a flawless method. one of their amps is always fucking up, so i hope they get that figured out eventually.
 
 comets on fire sounded ok to me but definitely could've been better. the snare wasn't loud at all, and i could've done with a little more guitar. regardless, i thoroughly enjoyed their set, and i've never seen these guys suck, even on an "off night." the songs with utrillo (the drummer) playing piano while noel (the echoplexist) played drums were incredible and added a whole new dimension to their sound. i agree with shoot ur shot...if comets can seamlessly integrate the furious shitkicking songs with the slower acid-fried dark jams without having to stop and tune, their set would be one long ultimate mindfuck. that's a minor complaint/criticism however.
 
 hoya, i'd get "field recordings from the sun" if you can find it. the self-titled debut is fun and kicks ass, but doesn't have a whole lot of dynamics happening. they're a much better band now.
 
 i didn't care much for the opening band, dactyl. they sounded like a second-rate amrep band. they obviously grew up listening to unsane, the jesus lizard, and the cows, but were nowhere near as good.

[Sir HC]

The opener reminded me of Keelhaul, a Youngstown band.  Very scream-o.  Not bad, but the vocals were too low in the mix for that music.
 
 I was ready to push the sound guy aside and mix comets.  He was friggin' lazy, never pushing up quiet guitars and pulling down the overly loud ones.  I don't know if Growing had much going through the PA or if it was all stage volume.