Rock me all night long

One of the great things about living in Amsterdam is that we get to go to a lot of concerts. We've been going to quite a few lately, and we have a pretty heavy schedule coming up as well.

This weekend, I was lucky enough to go to two shows, both at the Melkweg which I hadn't been to until now. On Saturday, we went to see Devotchka. If you've seen the movie Little Miss Sunshine, you're familiar with their music. It's, pulling adjectives from Allmusic, 'gypsy-tinged', 'circus rock' and makes use of instruments such as the tuba and accordion. I'd heard good things about their live show and wasn't disappointed. The music was incredible, the band were entertaining, and we had a great, comfortable view right at the front of the stage. It was a great night.

Surprisingly, though, the highlight for me was the band we saw on Sunday night. Hayseed Dixie are a band that Jason had heard of and a passing familiarity of a cover song they do. With such criteria do we decide which concerts to go to. Neither of us knew what to expect other than that they were a bluegrass band.

Turns out, they are a bluegrass band. They're an bluegrass AC/DC tribute band. Now, both of us came of age in Edmonton in the late 80s and early 90s, so you know we're more than a little familiar with AC/DC, but I have to say that I have never heard anything like Hayseed Dixie. Oddly, though, it worked. The band alone would have made it a great evening for me. The audience, though, took it to another level.

In retrospect, I've been going to a lot of concerts lately that can best be described as hipster. The music is critically acclaimed, technically tight, and innovative, if not worthy of lasting through the ages. The audiences reflect this. They are well-heeled, trendy and politely 'into it'. They bob up and down in place, getting down without really bothering their neighbors. In contrast, the Hayseed Dixie fans in attendance are a sub-sect of society one rarely sees during the day. Several were very clearly hopped up on....something, many men had tattoos covering the majority of their torsos (and perhaps the women did as well although they refrained from removing their shirts, so it's hard to tell), judging from the scents that frequently wafted past me, I'd guess that several people don't believe in deodorant, and there was a full-fledged mosh pit; something I thought had died out in the late 90s.

In short, it was dirty, smelly, noisy and physical; exactly like a rock show should be. It felt good. If you get the chance, I recommend seeing them, with one caveat. Wear something that already needs a good laundering because if you don't spill beer on yourself, someone else will do it for you.

City bird, country bird

The weather in Amsterdam has been getting warmer and warmer over the last week or so, and I feel fairly comfortable saying that Spring is here. Flowers are blooming, the breeze feels a little warmer, there's a pleasant smell of new growth on the air and everywhere previously grey spaces are becoming green.

To make the most of this, Jason and I have started going for walks in the evening, exploring the twists, turns and small neighborhood squares in our area. In accordance with Spring, the sounds of birds are everywhere although this unfortunately can take the sound of pigeons. Last night, though, we came across a sight that was entirely new to me.

I'd heard, of course, stories of how wild parakeets and parrots are major inhabitants of most major cities, but had always thought it was an urban myth. I'd never imagined that in addition to escaped pet birds, though, that there could be a community of escaped chickens and roosters out and about. And yet, on our way home, there they were; a tree full of chickens, and a few roosters wandering around on the ground.

City girl that I am, I'm inclined to think it's cooler than the wild parakeets. Parakeets I've seen, but I can probably count on one hand the times I've seen a rooster up close and personal.