I've always thought that the worst emotion that can be evoked by a band during a live show is apathy. It's fatal. Make me love you - make me hate you, but, c'mon man, make me feel SOMETHING so I know I'm still alive' enter Helium. I thought I had read somewhere about Mary Timony's angry lyrics about disempowerment, gender, or some such struggle and made the false assumption that the live show would force me to cope with my own male chauvinistic biases while dancing all over them.

 

To my utter disappointment, I had to endure an hour or so of hobbit-esque, medieval banter which was exciting like jail time. Well, O.K., Timony's voice is sorta pretty, songs were nicely constructed, and two girls playing rock music always has hi-interest with me, but, Ash Bowie's bass sound was the real show. If it hadn't been for that raw, easy-to-distinguish 60's vintage bass sound I'd have just gone home. I don't care what associations you grant Helium - Mitch Easter (Pavement/R.E.M. producer) or Matador or whatever, I'm not sold that anyone NEEDS to try and make prog rock credible. Perhaps Helium does want to revive sections of the rock'n'roll heritage that conventional wisdom has already consigned to the trash'perhaps it's just an experiment, a phase - but I fear what disasters may lurk in the future if the folk/blues, hard-times and trouble tradition of rock'n'roll gives way to unicorns, harpsichords and fantasy-art escapism. Think Yes. Well'prove me wrong at least.

Opening up for Helium was Cincinnati's own fairmount Girls. I swear, Cincinnati has so much great music goings-on which are yet mostly undiscovered by labels. I suppose that's the beauty of it though. I mean, it's OURS to enjoy.

 

Six girls (well, 5 girls and one Hooter) cram the stage for 45 minutes of great drones, over a straight up post-punk pulse with swirling organ, power chords and stewardess outfits to boot. Man! That's entertainment! I was fixed to the stage and I can't even figure out the dynamic behind it all. Maybe it's 'girl power' or some such nonsense but, whatever it is you gotta see it. It's powerful, sublime music made by indie-devotees. If you can't see their next show at least try to see one of the other bands that most of the fairmount Girls play in like Ditchweed, or Radiolaria. It's reel reel good.