Strange Vibrations by John Touchton: Review of Didimao, Ezrulie Hearts Omebi, and National Dairy

It was such a strange night: August 19, at TSI. The prior evening, my first time there in over a year, a ruckus ensued over a beer can that was launched from a crowd of spectators onlooking the bold and attention starved karaoke super stars. As a patron was finishing his rendition of, I believe it was a Linkin Park song, someone felt it necessary to hurl their drink at him, hitting him square in the face. A group of my friends, along with myself, were encouraged to leave, as we were of the speculated culprits of this flying P.B.R. The next night, August 19, a show was scheduled with San Francisco's Didimao, our own Ezrulie Hearts Omebi, and my band, National Dairy. We were wondering how the evening would pan out, due to the escapades previously mentioned. Thankfully, however, TSI has a clean slate policy, stating that whatever happens one evening, does not carry over to the next night; nonetheless, we were still a bit apprehensive to show up.
Upon arrival, it was apparent that we were at no risk of scrutiny; I'm almost positive that only one bartender was aware of who we were and what would it matter anyway? We were never proven guilty. The night, however, still exuded strange vibes. Maybe it was just the line up of psychedelically charged bands, or possibly just the fact that TSI is an awkward environment when it's not overloaded with scene hungry hipsters, flaunting the latest fashions as they perform neo-ritualistic mating calls. Either way, I was sure I would enjoy myself with much help from my beer tokens and the fact that the last band from the bay area we had played with, Religious Girls, were absolutely amazing.
We showed up a little late, but Ezrulie Hearts Omebi had already set up their collection of synthesizers and percussion pieces. Along with their heavily delayed vocals, this trio of psychedelia seemed as though they were ready to create an atmosphere, which seems to be a very important aspect of anything Omebi is part of. Their set almost reminds me of a funeral, featuring a score produced by David Lynch. With their ominous tones and dark subject matter, these folks induce a very hypnotic and captivating sound, conducive to the energy in the room. I enjoyed their set and was excited to set up and play, myself.
I can't say much about our performance. In fact, I feel we've had our better nights. My Roland Jazz Chorus, created before I was born, was giving me some problems. Our equipment seems to be a testimony of our economical times of despair. But we did manage to pull off the set without any serious equipment failure and even though we haven't had a place to practice in a month, I'd say that we were tight enough. I was more so excited to see Didimao. I knew little about them before the show, which is how I like to approach a band I've never seen.
Didimao had assembled their equipment and sound-checked before anyone else arrived. They began their set with what sounded like the beginning of a thunder storm, which quickly grabbed my attention. Their style could be compared to a soundtrack to a nightmare of mine, where I die some horribly gruesome death at the hands of something unexpected. Each new song they played was introduced by some howling whirlwind of noise which would eventually lead into a cultish lashing of effected guitar and bass, accompanied by drums and light sampling. Their chants only pronounce this description even more. I was not disappointed in the least and was surprised to find out that Didimao had no idea of who Religious Girls are, being that they live in the same area. I traded a copy of our demo for one of Didimao's albums and I encourage anyone intrigued by unusual music to check it out.
As strange as the night was, sometimes such vibes can highlight music in just the right way. Even with such energy, the previous night, with Karaoke connoisseurs and flying beer cans, was much more awkward. I can't say that throwing aluminum objects at people singing over Sublime and Linkin Park songs is the right thing to do, but it is funny to watch.