Arlington, 9.21.2024

When I think of Arlington, it's usually to remember days gone by: playing Stoogeaphilia shows at the Sunshine Bar and Caves Lounge, plotting HIO with Mark Cook and Terry Horn over beers at Ozzy Rabbit. But last night, Stefan Gonzalez had booked Trio Glossia on an eclectic bill at GROWL, a chill spot that includes a brewery, record store/show space, and pizza joint (which I waited too late to try last night; next time), where I'd never set foot before but folks like Stone Machine Electric, Herd of Instinct, and Liquid Sound Company play on the regular. It was an all ages show, so my friend Tammy Gomez and her nephew Lucas joined me for the evening.

I've gotten spoiled by the folks at Molten Plains announcing when the sets start, so I missed the beginning of Moon Presence's set. On this occasion, Moon Presence (aka John Schiller) was performing "... And Then Your Breath Dissipates," the lead off track from their recent cassette release Rellichs, accompanied by Aaron Gonzalez on stand up bass and voice, with visuals by Ash Hunn. Together, the three conjured an unearthly atmosphere, with Aaron singing into the sound hole of his bass.

It was Joshua Miller's birthday, so I took him a Peter Brotzmann record for his prezzie. Later, I heard him talking with Tammy about the Jazz Bike Tour she organized back in 2018. I was curious to hear how Trio Glossia would sound through a rock PA. Plus, they were breaking in a new Matthew Frerck composition that features the bassist on guitar. When it was over, the musicians talked about how the stage monitors created a volume differential depending on where one stood, and how they were unable to hear each other. 

But they powered through, playing a set that was less nuanced than the one they played at The Wild Detectives a couple of weeks ago, but appropriate for the room and the crowd. The physicality of Stefan's performance on vibraphone and drums, the joyful energy Joshua projects from behind the traps and the sheer visceral power of his tenor sax glossolalia (I heard someone use that word discussing the performance ex post facto), and the dark, heavy, harmonic rich sound of Matthew's amplified arco bass all won the crowd over and had them testifying. 

Baltimore dark wave duo Curse had the third slot (I remember when headliners used to play last, but now the penultimate slot is the choice one), and they filled the night with darkly melodic thunder. I like the way Jane Vincent sings in her natural voice, eschewing the excessive effects that too many singers in this style rely on, and Logan Terkelson hits the skins hard in a manner that put me in mind of both my buddy Jon Teague and the Riz Ahmed character in Sound of Metal. Later, Tammy got to talk story with Jane about her college days in Baltimore, where Logan used to tend bar in one of her favorite watering holes. Small world.

I've known Alex Atchley for about 15 years now, first hearing him playing solo instrumental as Naxat at the Tommy Atkins benefit at the Kessler Theater before it was open. I think Tammy knew him when he was a youngster hanging out at 1919 Hemphill, and he's been through loads of bands since then (Bad Times, Blank-Men, Born Snapped), but I never heard any of them until Inverted Candles last night.

These folks were billed as black metal, but they sound like a good old punk band to me (my dinosaur mind can't comprehend the subgenres for punk and metal that folks in the know tend to use). The band's built around Atchley and drummer Brandon Young, with guitarist Peter Hawkinson (who also plays in C.I. with my Fort Worth punk rock pal Bob Nash, also in the house last night) and a new bassist (whose name I unfortunately missed) to fill out the sound. But the real action is up front with singer Jack O'Hara, who prowls the audience with classic presence (Bobby said young Nick Cave, I said Stiv Bators, so take your pick). Semantic hair splitting aside, it was a cathartic performance that left me drained but sated.

Now I feel like I've been thrown down the stairs, but in a good way -- like I used to after a Stooge show. Time to rest my old ass up in time to welcome my friend Nick from NYC back to Tejas on Wednesday. It's a great life if you don't weaken.