COLLAPSE BOARD

It’s a hard thing to get hipsters dancing: The Maxines and The Shivas in Portland, Oregon

By Erika Meyer

I went to see a show Friday night. It was at a little bar and was well-attended by young adults that I really don’t want to call, but don’t know what else to call, hipsters. I am fully aware of the futility of this term, and the badness of labels and stereotypes. I’m also sometimes a brat. For the purposes of this review, hipsters are those who show up at hip events looking great in creative retro/vintage/modernist fashions, but due to the constraints imposed by coolness, tend to behave in a subdued, and at times almost herd-like manner.

I went to a rock n roll concert in Portland
at a place called The Jam that was once Café Lena
It was crawling with youngsters all drinking Blue Ribbon
who seemed far too sober for the occasion
Standing around cooly appraising
a band that I thought was pretty amazing

It’s a hard thing to get hipsters dancing.

I saw The Maxines* of Olympia, Washington
setting the stage with guitar and a drum kit
stripped down to floor tom, snare, kick, and a cymbal
Kelly’s drums were gold sparkle, on her T-shirt a rainbow
Matt’s guitar and his amp were from the mid 20th Century
I went to the bar and ordered some whiskey

It’s a hard thing to get hipsters dancing.

I was drinking my whiskey, The Maxines started playing
They laid down a sound that I found engaging
With songs that recall expressionist painting
not in the mood, but economy of color
with every tone bold and stark composition
making each simple song so fierce and exciting
drums that mean business and guitar groove inviting

It’s a hard thing to get hipsters dancing.

It seemed like The Maxines were just getting going
when they had to stop playing because of the zoning
they couldn’t make noise after 11 on Friday
and so it turns out The Shivas couldn’t play either
so that kinda sucked, but what’s the point in complaining
so I wandered outside where people were hanging
at tables, and laughing, and flirting, and smoking

It’s a hard thing to get hipsters dancing.

Outside I met Kristen, she sings and drums in the Shivas
she gave me a cassette with stickers and downloads
it was psychedelic with reverb and fuzzy
drums that are driving and bass that is riffy
vacant lot throbbing round wildflowers blooming
vision distorted by water or sunlight
west coast wet dreaming at the edge of the highway
and bees that keep buzzing deep into the midnight
guitar-woven garlands of candy and strychnine
the sound ever rolling along down the coastline
so even the sharks and the kelp can’t help swaying
so I’m kinda bummed out that The Shivas aren’t playing

And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard
it’s a hard thing to get hipsters dancing.

————–

* The Maxines are in the midst of a west coast tour (dates can be found on The Maxines’ Facebook page). Last February, Tobi Vail wrote a review for Collapse Board of The Maxines and their album release show in Olympia at Midnight Sun. Where people were dancing.

Hipster Kitty is an internet meme based on a collage by artist Craig Wheat.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 10th, 2012 at 9:45 am. It is filed under Live Reviews and tagged with Erika Meyer, hipsters, Olympia, Portland, The Maxines, The Shivas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.