so darth ed was the only one who made it to the supreme imperial last night? i went, got there late, and left before tv on the radio because it was after 1am and my roommate and i were exhausted and sort of in a bad mood.
i'm not sure what to make of the supreme imperial, but my first experience there wasn't exactly wonderful. when we got to the door, we weren't expecting a doorman to ask for $10; it says "donations" on their website, and the show was supposedly an $8 suggested donation. i am not a fan of false advertisement or sketchiness, especially from a DIY venue. now, i host shows at my house and i would never advertise something as anything other than what it is; donations are donations, and if you are going to charge, then be up front about it. we asked the doorman about the inconsistency, and he said it's "an old school trick to claim donations and then charge." not cool. i hate to whine about such stuff, but knowing i'd be forced to cough up $10, i would have stayed in dc and gone to califone or tone instead.
in addition to that, the change-overs between sets took abnormally long, like half an hour between. we got there at 10:30 and managed to see apollo heights and birdland (we missed the six parts seven and the hush), and we left after 1 and tv on the radio still had not started. also, it was hot as hell. this venue will be brutal in the summer.
on the positive side, the venue is large and can accommodate large acts, though there isn't a raised stage, so it's hard to see from past the front. apollo heights were good and very interesting, a multi-racial trio (singer/guitar/bass) with drum machine backing. sort of like prince or andre 3000 singing for a psychedelic indie-rock band. birdland were fantastic and have great chemistry, which isn't surprising, considering sean and katrina have been playing together for years. katrina's vocals never cease to amaze me...she's like nick cave circa the birthday party meets pj harvey.
i'll probably be up there again on the 24th to see glass candy, weird war, and the hush. hopefully, it will be a better experience.