Interviews from Erin Miller, extended from Feburary 2016 Showprint…
To me, music is just about the best thing ever—pure happiness. Cheeseball nonsense, I know, but I think this feeling is something that unites a lot of us who consume and/or produce music. Music, particularly live music and the experience of going to a show, has a very tangible impact on many people, and that’s what I wanted to explore. So, here are some Cool Kids answering the question: What show has impacted you the most, and why?
Scaught Bates – Fugazi, The X at Del Mar Station
“Most impactful show I went to was Fugazi, this band called The X played at Del Mar Station in Reno. I think it was like, 2000 or something? I guess what I’d say about this show is that my art teacher in eighth grade told me that I needed to go see Fugazi if I have the chance to, and I was like, ‘Okay, cool.’ But I’d never really heard them. My brother took me to their show, and it was really exciting and really scary. […] I had never really been to a punk show before (except I’d seen a ska show at a church once) so it was kind of like a fantasy scenario even though I’d never heard any of those bands. That band The X who played was from Holland, and I’d never, ever heard of them. They had all sorts of crazy shit going on, and the lead singer was just kinda losing [it] on stage, and it was super mind blowing to watch. […] I was exposed to a bunch of things that I’d never really seen before, and of course there were kids moshing and going kind of buck wild for these bands and stuff. It’s a big deal to see people impacted by music that way. I was pretty terrified the whole time. […] Fugazi later was one of my favorite bands. They’re a great band, a really important band. Looking back on that, it’s always a crazy thing to think about.”
Hanna Kaplan – Atlas Frame, Girlpool, Current Joys at The Holland Project
“The most impactful show for me was the Atlas Frame, Girlpool, and Current Joys show at The Holland Project. It was my first show at Holland and it has changed how I view this city. I’ve met so many cool people through Holland and gotten to see so many bands that have changed me for the better. Being at The Holland Project has taught me that reno isn’t such a bad place and there are good people here that I can talk to and get to know.”
“Michael” Grimm – Ice Age, Helm, Spitting Image at The Holland Project
“This was a very hard choice to pick. It was probably Ice Age, Helm, and Spitting Image at The Holland Project. That was the first show at The Holland Project that I was really, really stoked to see. I’d been to tons of shows before, and I was maybe stoked on like a band, like, a little bit. But, these guys… I listened to all their albums. My stoke level for this show was insanely high. I remember I came to do intern stuff that day, and they came at like, 4:30, and the lead singer came and he introduced himself to me, and I was like, ‘Woah, I’m shaking hands with the lead singer of my favorite band!’ I hung out with them, and I remember I took their pizza order, and it was a garlic, onion, and anchovy pizza. So, I took their pizza order, and I had to run and get them pizza and water, but I remember I was doing it all, and I was so excited. The show started a little bit late, and Spitting Image came on and they ruled. Helm, who was like, this weirdo kind of garage industrial act came on, and he was really good. And then Ice Age came on, and it was one of the most mind blowing things ever to see, just because of how punk they were. Like, there’s punk bands that say that they’re punk, but not really, but these guys truly did not care what the audience thought of them, they just did their own thing. […] It was so impactful, because it was the first show I’d seen at Holland where I was like, super, super, super stoked on seeing […]. I remember every single song from that set, it will stick with me for many, many years to come. They closed with my favorite song of theirs, and they ended up dragging it out like an extra three minutes of strums and strums, and just really going crazy. It was just a really, really, really fun show.”
Jacob Rubeck – The Babies at The Holland Project
“My most impactful show that I saw was here in Reno, at The Holland Project, when it was in The Rainshadow building. It was The Babies, Whitefence opened up for them. It was just, like, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. It was so much fun, I was so happy to go to a show like that after being neglected from shows for so long living in Las Vegas, where there isn’t an all ages music scene. The fact that I got to experience a music scene in a place that I was living was incredible. Seeing a band that I’d really loved, The Babies, really sparked something in me, and made me want to continue on in music, and want to do something as cool as that. Cassie Ramone and Kevin Morby just absolutely killed it, you know? It was just so much fun, and they were super nice, and they ended up giving me a tape that I’ve kept and will never give away. I think that’s what makes a really good, impactful show: you never want to let go of that memory. You remember everything about that night, the people you saw, the people you encountered, the people who were nice enough to talk to you or want to get to know you. You felt it all in that night. Also, meeting your heroes too, that’s also really, really amazing. That’s the most impactful one for me.”
Francesca Martinez – Can’t Gets at Chapel; Broken Waters at The Holland Project
“One of my favorite shows last year was the Can’t Gets playing at Chapel for New Year’s Eve. A two hour set of 50s/60s covers that gave no one option to stand still. The place was packed with everyone dressed up, swaying around, and smiling from ear to ear. Oldies are my favorite genre of music to dance to and they nailed it; really set the vibes for the night. Another one of my favorite shows was the Broken Waters set at Holland. With a female front drummer, she was such an inspiration. She set up in front of the stage to face her other band mates and was very particular about how her drums were tuned as well as how the rest of the band sounded; a perfectionist & I respect that. Their music was incredible. Fun to bob your head to and with a deep message behind every tune. She had a black and white feminist movie from the 40s or 50s on & spoke between songs about the different struggles women face; it was amazing. She was a goddess.”