The Ohsees, Mix Tapes, and Meric Long.
Wednesdays Mission Creek showcase was kind of a salve to the ears compared to the previous nights seriously experimental penetration. In fact, people were mostly seated on the floor when this opening act, Mixed Tapes, took the stage.
(be sure to scroll down to the bottom for the videos!)
Mixed Tapes comprised two coal-haired women with beautiful, CocoRosie-minus-the-creepiness vocals, and a guy named Meric Long on guitar. Pretty stuff. It was an incestuous night because the other woman not pictured here also sang with OCS (although now theyre going by the Ohsees) later, and Longs other band was the second opener. During the Ohsees set, though, this woman heckled the band between songs by shouting Sports! I dont know what that means.
This is the Ohsees John Dwyer, a man Ive witnessed playing guitar on top of washing machines and smashed light bulbs at a laundry mat, feigning German techno gayness, and, right after this picture was taken, putting his nostrils on the soundboard knobs.
I was at the show solo that night so I got a little antsy between bands and decided to walk around Polk Street. Stopping at the nearby fire station seemed like a good idea. I once got a ride in one of these fire trucks years ago, when a couple firemen took my drunk friend and I from Lucky 13 around the block to see what its like to ride around with firemen. Kinda trashy I know. Then those firemen got a real call to duty and had to quickly drop us back at the bar.
These firefighters were totally on the up and up, though. No rides offered, just photo ops on the engine. They said theyd already put out a couple fires that afternoon but were waiting around for a call when I came by. One of the guys was a young stud in that Mark Wahlberg Bostonian dude kinda way, and another one was just wholesome and friendly and not paranoid that his photo would end up on some defamatory, anti-fireman web site.
This mural was in an alley near where the trannie hookers like to hang.
Not all San Francisco murals make sense. Although monkeys probably do point at their butts sometimes.
Pig.
When I got back to the club, Meric Long was on stage. He said he was feeling kinda ill, but he and his drummer had more energy between them than most minimal indie pop acts out there. The music was really uplifting and sweet and charming. The crowd loved them too, I think because they put us in such a good mood.
Heres Meric Longs drummer. Funny, he didnt look 12 years old in person.
More walking around the hood between bands. Thats where I ran into this guy, who told me no less than three times that the best place to buy lingerie in the city is on 4th and Folsom. I wont forget.
Finally it was time for the Ohsees.
Heres the other half of the band.
After hearing John Dwyer crash-land his way through so many garage-junk genres over the years, it was cool to hear what he can do when he settles into something with a little more subtlety. This band used saws, singing, guitars, and light percussion to weave this eerie, old timey, folky Americana vibe. I think more bands need to incorporate saws into their sets. It just sounds so cool.
The female singer in the band was British, and even though she didnt seem to like looking at the audience, her voice worked well with Dwyers. It was like having tea and crumb cakes with a Mission bike messenger. There was only slight distortion on their mics too, which left their words hanging in a comfortable haze. Petey Dammit on guitar.
Between songs, Dwyer heckled the crowd a lot. He also said he wants to sell
out an Ohsees song to snack company like Ritz crackers. He wears both his
pants and his guitar pretty high, no?
- Jennifer Maerz
Watch this Ohsees video
watch some Coachwhips in Brooklyn
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