These Arms Are Snakes @ Dante’s 9/5/08
| September 5, 2008 | ||
| 11:00 pm |
The first show I want to highlight in this years MusicFest NW is unfortunately at Dante’s, and unfortunately the same night as Nico Muhly’s last scheduled Portland performance: Friday September 5th.
| 8:00 pm | Rapids |
| 9:00 pm | The Muslims |
| 10:00 pm | Colour Revolt |
| 11:00 pm | These Arms Are Snakes |
| 12:00 am | The Night Marchers |
The first time I saw These Arms Are Snakes was over 5 years ago, on June 28th, 2003. They played the now defunct Nocturnal (my all time favorite venue) and although I was there to see The Blood Brothers and Minus The Bear, I was pleasantly surprised by TAAS. Singer Steve Snere sang with the microphone entirely in his mouth, intensifying his screams with the synth he leaned on the entire time.
These Arms Are Snakes – Horse Girl
Although now he lays off on the synthesizer for the most part, and the microphone spends more time in his pants than in his mouth; its all part of a show that is still every bit as grabbing, and every bit as entertaining. With the release of their new album Tail Swallower And Dove coming up in October, we can expect their set to be chalk full of new songs. I caught them again a few months ago at Jaguar Love’s first show ever, and while Jaguar Love commanded their own attention, TAAS were the headliners for a reason.
These Arms Are Snakes – Riding The Grape Dragon
Tail Swallower And Dove is the perfect illustration of their live show. It’s impossible to listen without picturing Snere collapsing backward as he shouts; going from flat on the floor to arms in the air in only a moments notice. Doing double time on the kick drum, drummer/producer Chris Common acts as an orchestrator for Snere’s screaming, while the rest of the band is defiant in their instrumentation, only coming together to keep it coherent. What we’re left with is another amazing chapter in These Arms Are Snakes’ career. Though this may not be their best album, and the experimentation can be a bit exhausting (Read: Lucifer), they prove that with their new home on Suicide Squeeze, TAAS (thankfully) aren’t ready to close the book.
These Arms Are Snakes – Big News
It should also be noted that people like The Muslims quite a bit, but you should be aware that Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson will be at the Roseland at the same time, playing an amazing set with the aformentioned Jaguar Love, and some band called TV On The Radio.
