I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: June 27, 2024] Quasi

I was a middling fan of Quasi back in the 90s.  I liked some of their stuff but never really  thought al that much about them.  After Janet “left” Sleater-Kinney and got into a car accident, I was much more interested in supporting her, so I got back into Quasi and was pretty excited to see they were touring last year.

When they played Johnny Brenda’s last year it was just Sam Coomes (on keys–wow, somehow only on keys) and Janet Weiss (killing it on drums).  I really enjoyed the show a lot and was so glad to have seen them.

When they announced a new tour, of the album Featuring “Birds” (the first album I (and apparently everyone else) loved from them.  I knew I’d like to see them again.  I wasn’t keen on going to World Cafe Live because it’s kind of awkward to get to for me.  But this was my second time there in a month and the paring was awesome once again.

And, the best part is that when I got downstairs, Sam and Janet were right there selling their own merch!  I got to chat with both of them and they signed my vinyl.  It was very cool.

When they came on stage, I noticed that there were a lot of guitars up there–there were none last time.  There was also someone else walking around the stage.  This turned out to be Joanna Bolme, on bass and occasional guitar or keyboard.  Bolme played regularly with Quasi for well over a decade, and was around for Birds, as an executive producer.  She didn’t say anything (although she did help o untangle some cords for Sam).  But she really held the show together, especially when Sam switched to guitar–the low end would have been notably absent without her on those song.

But, yes, Sam mostly played keys.  The sound of his keyboard is outstanding–sounding like it is louder than it is supposed to be with extra distortion thrown in, you get the sense that the machine could blow up any second.  And then there’s Janet.  While Sam is fun to watch (he rocks the keyboard on his knees, he plays with the back of his hand and forearm, making an unholy sound from time to time), it’s hard not to watch Janet playing the drums.   Her kit is as close to the audience as Sam’s keys and they face each other–making each other laugh and goading each other to play… more or faster or whatever else strikes them.

After “Tomorrow You’ll Hide” which Janet sang, she said “it’s so scary to sing lead…much safer to play drums.”

You can see how much fun they are having together.  And Janet is clearly loving getting to play this way–she has describes Quasi s a kind of loose, almost sloppy outfit.  And it feels that way, although there is not sloppiness in their playing, it just feels like it could fall apart at any second (like Sam’s keys) but you know it never will.

They played the album straight through.  At one point, while Sam was switching instruments, Janet said, you guys know what’s next right?

I noticed Janet’s backing vocals more  this time (I was right in front of Sam’s amp last time), and it was fun watching Sam play different instruments.

When the album ended, the guy in front of me asked for a song from Field Studies so they played “All the Same” (which I noticed they had been playing in the set anyhow, so they just rearranged a bit.

They followed with The Rhino, and insane piece of music in which both Sam and Janet have lots of improv sections between the main melodies.

They played three songs from the loosest, wackiest album R&B Transmogrification, including, My Coffin, a shambolic opportunity for Sam to noodle on the keys for a while before the lurching song kicks in.  Sam switched to guitar while Janet played a kind of slow drum beat to welcome him to the new instrument.  This time for “Death Culture Blues” (much assistance from the bass on this one).  More chaos followed with the riotous opening of “Alice the Goon” with Sam hitting the keys almost as hard as Janet was hitting the drums and Joanna rumbling the bass.

Then they played the set ending song from the last show, Riots and Jokes.  And that’s kind of when the show should have ended, at least according to the previous show.  But they kept going.

Sam got back on guitar and played “Rockabilly Party” which reminded me a lot of a Neil Young song.  Sam followed this with a wonderfully picked instrumental version of Classical Gas by Mason Williams.

Then the band kicked in a full on rocking version of Sword of God (which might actually be my favorite Quasi album, shh).

They came back out for an encore (I didn’t think they would) and they played “It’s Raining,” a song I love.

They followed it with the crazy instrumental jam “R&B Transmogrification.”  It’s wild and chaotic, with Sam playing the keys with hit foot and, at one point, his whole body as he leaned on the keys.  Interspersed with this nonsense was a whole bunch of killer fills from Janet who just seemed to be egging him on, making the song last longer and longer.  It was so much fun.

I was sure that was the end, but instead, Sam and Janet BOTH grabbed a guitar.  Janet sat at her kit and they played the slow and lovely Clouds, which they both sang.  It was a real surprise for me as I didn’t know Janet played guitar and because it was such a quiet ending after such a chaotic show.

I’m sure they were out there signing merch (I saw Marnie and her band as I left), but I wanted to get home so I headed out and found a 215 sticker on my car.  I had recently started putting stickers on my 19 year old car, because why not, so it was kind of fun to see a new one added by a random person.

 

2024	2023
Birds (taped intro)	Last Long Laugh ‰
Our Happiness Is Guaranteed ∇	Nowheresville ‰
I Never Want to See You Again ∇	Back in Your Tree ‰
The Poisoned Well ∇	All the Same ≅
The Happy Prole ∇	I Never Want to See You Again ∇
Sea Shanty ∇	You Fucked Yourself ∇
It’s Hard to Turn Me On ∇	Queen of Ears ‰
Nothing from Nothing ∇	Birds ∇
Tomorrow You’ll Hide ∇	Rotten Wrock ‰
California ∇	See You on Mars ∏
You Fucked Yourself ∇	Under a Cloud ≅
Ape Self Prevails in Me Still ∇	Breaking the Balls of History ‰
Please Do ∇	Shitty is Pretty ‰
I Give Up ∇	The Rhino ♣
Repetition ∇	Do You Love Me Now? (Breeders cover)
Only Success Can Fail Me Now ∇	California ∇
end of album	Death Culture Blues ♣
All the Same ≅	Doomscrollers ‰
The Rhino ♣	encore “break”
Birds ∇	Seal the Deal ⇑
My Coffin ‰	The Happy Prole ∇
Death Culture Blues ♣	The Poisoned Well ∇
Alice the Goon ♣	It’s Raining ⇑
Riots and Jokes ‰	Riots and Jokes ‰
Rockabilly Party £
Classical Gas (Mason Williams cover)
The Sword of God ⇑
encore
It’s Raining ⇑
R&B Transmogrification ‰
Clouds ‰