A Girl With a Sword

booming music scene

Back in Nebraska, I decided to go to the Tilly and the Wall CD release party tonight at Sokol Underground. I've always wanted to go to Sokol Underground, ever since I attended a high school a few blocks from there and drove past it every day, but I never found a band compelling enough to make me drive over to 13th St. So tonight I got here after nine and a half hours of driving, ate dinner, then popped out again at nine to see this show. I arrive there and I'm all proud of myself for parallel parking, a skill Eb taught me a few days ago. Then I get to the place and find out it's sold out. So. bummer. but I've been in this position before, with that Stars show, and I know what to do. I must have asked the entire hipster community of Omaha if they had extra tickets. So many people, so many sad, apologetic, vaguely hopeful responses. Then, when I was just standing there because it was a nice night and I hadn't decided what to do next, this guy comes up to me and asks me what time the show started, then starts telling me about the crazy evening he's already had what with going to see Nickel Creek, then having to rush over here for the Tilly and the Wall show. He seems annoyed with having to go to the show so I kindly offer to buy his ticket from him. He's surprised and happy. I'm surprised and happy. Everything works out.

So I get inside and get my hand stamped and breathe a sigh of relief in the cigarette smoke filled room. Here's that Omaha I've been looking for, the girls with their cotton dresses and the boys with their tight jeans and carefully disheveled hair. The room was sizable, a little smaller than the main room at Lamar's, with a drop ceiling painted black that had uniquely shaped light fixtures hanging from it. There were streamers hanging all over and streamers shaped like palm trees hanging over the stage, I'm not sure if they were the band's idea or the Sokol's. Tilly and the Wall were fantastic. How can you argue with a tap dancing percussionist and a hot bass chick? It was great seeing them in their home town, too. They kept saying hi to their moms and dads and friends. The audience participation level was amazing. The crowd knew Tilly and the Wall better than Tilly and the Wall did. All those fast, crazy words--they knew them. With hand motions. The show flew. For the last song, "Nights of the Living Dead," the band invited all their friends and "anyone who felt like a friend" to come up. Half the audience was on stage. They didn't really fit. And was that Conor Oberst holding that microphone? We will never really know. The show faded into a dance party. It made me so happy when they played "Crazy" which some of you may know from the "Seth's Mix" and some of you from Hope's Fifth North CD and some of you may know from me having it in my head all last weekend. That was awesome. There is nothing like dancing to music you love. This is why I love Infradig. And had to make a last minute stop for their stickers before I left Chattanooga and practically interrupted their band practice. Anyway, I left the dancing after a few songs because I drove a long time today and I am tired.