I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: March 17, 2023] Quasi

I explored Quasi’s music back in the late 1990s mostly because I loved Janet Weiss’ drum work with Sleater-Kinney.  I had no idea who Sam Coomes was (he was her husband at some point but is no longer), but he was clearly the main songwriting force behind the band (Janet is credited with some song, but Sam wrote the majority).

I lost track of them during the 2000s (they release sporadically and Sam does a ton of other work with other people–for instance he has played keyboards on every Built to Spill album since Keep It Like a Secret].  They have put out about five albums that I hadn’t heard of, including their most recent Breaking the Ball of History.

Janet Weiss got into a car accident about four years ago and broke her leg and collar bone.  It seemed like she’d never play again.  But she fought through the grief and man, she was amazing to watch.

I went to this show in part because I like their older songs and in part to give Janet Weiss some support.  She clearly didn’t need the support from me as everyone was there to cheer her on.  Apparently they used to sell “Janet Fucking Weiss” shirts, but don’t any longer.

And so they came out on stage, Janet and Sam setting up their own gear.  Since it’s just the two of them, they face each other.  Sam plays keyboards (which is the most limiting way of describing his performance) and Janet pounds the hell out of the kit.

Once they got settled, Sam sat at the keys and proceeded to make a wonderful unholy racket.  He had a whole mess of pedals that he plays with constantly.  And there’s a ton of distortion and echo on his playing so that every song feels huge (and a little wobbly).  And Janet did not hold back–she played fast and hard and was really impressive back there.

They started off with three new songs.  And Coomes had some really nifty gadgets that he was showing off.  Like some kind of ufo pedal that just seemed to make squealing feedback noise when something approached it–like an insane Theremin.  And, best of all, the first time he used it, he activated it with his foot.  He then used his hand to start another song with the crazed sounds.

I was sad it didn’t reappear later.

Overall their sound was immense.  Sam plays just the one keyboard, but he has a lot of effects.  The low notes sound huge and he plays a lot of keys at the same time, which makes it sound wrong but not at the same time.  Indeed, at times it sounds like he doesn’t know what he’s doing–just banging on the keys–and yet despite the banging, he’s always in tune.  And then he slips right back in to playing riffs and excellent solos.

But again, he’s not afraid to do weird stuff, like in the song where he pressed his knee on the keys–very specifically in time with the beat.

I was a little surprised they didn’t play songs from all of their records.  Although they did touch on just about all the ones I have.  I was pretty delighted to hear “You Fucked Yourself” a personal favorite from “Featuring ‘Birds.'”

After a few songs, someone shouted out “See You on Mars.”  I assume they heard the guy, and they smiled.  But they had a set list.  And it did get played a few songs later (the only song from 2013’s Mole City, which I don’t know).

The new album Breaking the Balls of History has 12 songs and they played 9 from it.  I didn’t mind since I wasn’t really hoping to hear anything in particular–it had been long enough since I really listened that I didn’t remember the songs I like best.

In fact, when he started “Shitty is Pretty,” I was sure it was an old song that I knew.  But perhaps I listened to it a bunch when the single came out.

I was also quite certain I knew “The Rhino” although that’s also from an album I don’t own.  So maybe the songs are just inserted into my head.

They played six songs from Featuring “Birds” which is my favorite record, so that was awesome.  It was great recognizing songs that I knew from many years ago.

Then after playing the new song “Doomscrollers,” they paused.

Sam said that they had a song that they always ended with.  But that they also had some other songs that they could play, too.

They conferred with each other and decided that there would be encores.  They said that they often go backstage and listen to see if people are clapping, and maybe there’s like two people clapping.  But this crowd was insane and loud and they were definitely going to play more songs.  They weren’t even going to leave the stage.

And they launched into “Seal the Deal” a rollicking song in which Janet said she had developed “new fills” for the quiet parts.

After two more songs from Birds, Sam started singing “It’s Raining,” a song I had completely forgot about and one that I absolutely love.  I’ve always assumed it was a response to the song “Why Does It Always Rain on Me” and it’s funny and catchy as well.

They ended with the new song “Riots and Jokes” which was an excellent ending.

It was clear that both of them were having a great time and were really enjoying playing together.  I really wanted to check out the merch, but I was running late and had parked in a really questionable spot, so I took off as soon as the show ended.

But I’m so glad I got to see them both.  It was great seeing Janet (and seeing her up close, unlike with Sleater-Kinney) and it was great learning how amazing Sam Coomes is.

2023
Last Long Laugh ‰
Nowheresville ‰
Back in Your Tree ‰
All the Same ≅
I Never Want to See You Again ∇
You Fucked Yourself ∇
Queen of Ears ‰
Birds ∇
Rotten Wrock ‰
See You on Mars ∏
Under a Cloud ≅
Breaking the Balls of History ‰
Shitty is Pretty ‰
The Rhino ♣
Do You Love Me Now? (Breeders cover)
California ∇
Death Culture Blues ♣
Doomscrollers ‰
encore “break”
Seal the Deal ⇑
The Happy Prole ∇
The Poisoned Well ∇
It’s Raining ⇑
Riots and Jokes ‰