Have you guys been reading our midweek review feature Graded on a Curve authored by Joseph Neff? I’ll assert it’s some of the best and most incisive writing and review column—certainly in DC—and perhaps rivaling some of those larger brand name blogs I’ve frankly stopped spending any time with.
Well, back in May, Neff didn’t really think too highly of The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s new release, Aufheben—gave it a D+ actually. Not good, but hang with me here a sec, I’m going someplace with this.
Joseph wrote back then, “…keeping in mind that the history of art isn’t to be confused with the history of nice people, I never really had any problem with the band in terms of image (while acknowledging that said image eventually steamrolled into something comparable to a train wreck), but I also can’t deny having a rather shoulder-shrugging reaction to them overall…To be frank, The Brian Jonestown Massacre needed none of my goodwill.”
“And again, plenty of folks wore their fandom of BJM as a badge of cool and just as many used their dislike of the band as a way to define what rock music shouldn’t be; there wasn’t much in the way of middle ground. Well, except that the middle ground is pretty much where I put them.”
“It’s now a given that the name Brian Jonestown Massacre is essentially synonymous with founder Anton Newcombe, and it hasn’t been really accurate in quite a long time to call them a band. But in their early incarnation a band is very much what they were, holding a solid lineup and releasing some solid music upon which their reputation is based.”
…and that’s why Wednesday’s show at the 9:30—despite what side of the coin you’re on—will be one to check out. Which Anton and which BJM will DC get? We’ve got a pair of tickets for one of you to find out.
As Joseph noted, The Brian Jonestown Massacre has as many ardent fans as detractors, but it seems to me that if you’re interested in winning these tickets, you’re in the camp where decidedly Neff is not.
Enter to win the pair of tickets why Neff is wrong and his why ambivalence is misplaced. The most convincing of the lot get the tickets to the show. We’ll choose one winner this coming Tuesday, 8/21 at noon.
