but, just to finish my thought...

honestly?

those hip-hop fans probably don't want me around, either. i don't bother showing up because i don't really like the artform, but i know they'd actually largely rather i don't show up.

again, i don't want to paint with too broad brushes. but, trans people get killed in detroit relatively frequently, actually. my disinterest in it aside, that's not the best scene for me to hover around - they wouldn't want me around, and i might actually get hurt.

ok, so we have an unlikely solstice party on saturday night that it probably makes no sense to go to. it's an info line. it depends entirely on where it is, and how i'm feeling, and last minute updates to the forecast.

very low likelihood.

same thing for next saturday, and on new years, i'm essentially not scratching them out yet, because i might change my mind. but it's almost certain that i'm in for the rest of the year, at least.

the weather down here, at the southernmost tip of canada, is actually not that bad for the next two weeks. there's a cold snap that clears out tomorrow night, and then we should be mostly above freezing until new year's day.

it's starting to look like a timid winter here, actually. it's still too early. but, an early spring is looking more and more likely...

i'm just south of the jetstream, though. even toronto is experiencing something rather different right now. i think that even london is getting hit, right now.

and, this is the aforementioned headliner, which is kind of doing everything right, but not quite doing it with enough....grit? is that the term i want?

i just want it to be a little rougher around the edges, to pull out the more psychedelic aspects. i want those guitar parts to be a little less planned out. i want some more freeform jams. i want it to be just a little less poppy, overall.

it's the kind of thing that might grow on me, but it's also the kind of thing that i might get tired of very quickly. i'm still toying with this weekend, actually, but it's pretty unlikely at this point.

https://thewornflints.bandcamp.com/

actually, i would show up early to see something like this. it's a little slow moving, but it's varied enough to hold my attention.

it's a shame the headliner isn't just a tad edgier.

https://aemmprecordsrock.bandcamp.com/album/daylight-sinners

it's way too cold to go out tonight.

is this actually any good, though? 

see, my perception of this is that it's just very silly, but i said the same thing about earth, as well as earthless, and i ended up at both shows. there would be a non-zero chance that i'd show up at something like this if it wasn't one of the coldest nights of the year.

there are, however, certain things that would dramatically minimize my chances, as well.

first, i know they're purposefully retro, a novelty act, but hasn't the satanic theme run it's course? i have dead kennedys records from like 1985 that argue pretty convincingly that satanic rock music is overdone and tired and stupid and cliched, and here we are 35 years later and still watching in confusion as they headbang their heads against the same wall.

second, it's actually hard not to giggle when you hear the vocal tone. no, really. this is just so widely ridiculed at this point, that you're going to end up giggling by default. you can't avoid it. admit it. you're laughing...

i'd deal with that, though, if i was in the right mood, if the guitar playing was actually interesting. and, it's kind of not.

so, no. it isn't actually any good.

why don't i go see hip-hop shows, though?

well, i'd challenge the premise just a little. i saw actress not that long ago. it's rare, though.

stated tersely, i think hip-hop is boring. that's the flat out reality - it's slow-moving, musically simplistic and, usually, boring as fuck.

but, you'll also notice that i almost never go to macho rock or metal shows, either, because i have some issues with the misogyny in the music. i don't go to see these like pro-capitalist guitarists like ted nugent, either. and, broadly speaking, i don't like the politics promoted by most hip-hop. even when it's acceptable on a political level, it's still a pretty bro-ish genre of music.

so, let's be clear about the reasons:

1) musically, i find almost all hip-hop to be boring. there are rare counter-examples, but it usually ends up being instrumental music, like burial.
2) politically, i find most hip-hop to be drastically lacking. it's staunchly pro-capitalist, and it's usually pretty broish.

so, if i don't like the way it sounds, and i don't like the ideas it's disseminating, what exactly would my interest in the genre be?

don't misunderstand me - i'd like to keep an open mind. if you think there's a hip-hop artist i'd love, suggest it to me. i've dabbled in some of the anticon stuff, and it's at least politically closer to what i want, even if it doesn't get close to what i need, musically.

but, it's not a young genre, anymore. in fact, it's probably mostly already run it's course - the best hip-hop is probably behind us. and, almost none of it has been good enough to excite me.

you'll see me at jazz concerts, and you'll see me at techno concerts. but, you'll almost never see me at an opera, and you'll almost never see me at a hip-hop show, either.

we can't all like everything, and hip-hop's in the list of things that doesn't do much for me.