i'm writing to tell you about my experience. i read a bulletin a couple days ago where you guys asked for people to write, so here it is.
When Only Crime were added to the bill, it gave me ten-fold incentive to attend. Russ Rankin's lyrics have always picked me up significantly ever since I bought "Ballads From The Revolution" about four years ago, shortly thereafter completing my GR catalogue. I know this is supposed to be more about the show itself, but I have to emphasize the importance of sitting in your room, feeling stupid for thinking low or just plain feeling like your a stranger on the edge of the world, with no where to go because you feel like anyone else would think it was petty, and a voice out there sings exactly what's on your mind, really bringing the world back into place or aiding in a sense of security. It really is a phenomenon. Just a song, or a lyric, or a line from a poem can help someone else feel like there is definately a struggle, no matter how big or small, for other people just like themselves. And at the end of the day, you try harder and push yourself, knowing with confidence that inside, there is a spirit and imagination too strong to break. And that artist, song, poem, or whatever, is there cheering you on. That's what Russ and Only Crime do for me. I can't listen to a song like "The Well" without taking a valuable lesson about looking to myself and the present, instead of dwelling on the past or clinging to mistakes that i can't fix. it's something out of many things we all seem to know, but often only come to terms with when someone brings it to the pit of our minds. That's one of the many powers of art, and Only Crime are true, raw artists, with a musically inventive, "paint this town red" sound and lyrics that mean everything, from the pit of one man's stomach, to the ears and eyes of the audience. That's why I had to get to the show early. It was a song late when I finally rushed down through the crowded floor at House of Blues towards the front, as we were still standing at the "will-call" booth when the band started. "Sedated" was being performed and I sang the words aloud past the bar and into the strangely stagnant crowd. I saw, a few feet over that there was a little more response to the band, but stood my own awkward little ground rising arms and shouting along to twenty minutes of musical bliss. The boys were in top form, not missing a beat or harmony. It was short and sweet and by far, my favorite set of the night. The man that derives hope from art, gets to see the artists live....and spends way too much money at the merch table. awesome frisbees by the way.
thank you so much for a great night, and thank you Russ for speaking to me briefly after the show.
Hope to see you guys again soon.
-Chason Huggins