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Saturday, Nov. 15, 2003 | 10:35

People Will Blink @ The Mutiny 11/14/03

earlier this year, local rock legend Wesley Willis died, much to the dismay and sorrow of many. by all accounts, Wesley was an erratic performer of not exceptionally talented music who still managed to build a rabid cult fanbase. perhaps this was related to his struggle with schizophrenia, and society�s natural sympathy for someone trying to make something of himself and being thwarted at every turn. in Wesley Willis� case, it was usually his illness thwarting him.

when he died, I didn�t feel any great loss because I had not experienced the wonder that was Wesley Willis. I say �wonder� there, but in fact I would not know. all my knowledge about him is second hand, and will likely remain so for quite some time.

all of this is prologue to the show I saw last night. a man, whose name I forget, who books shows in Chicago and who was once Wesley Willis�s caretaker decided to hold a memorial show in the great crazy�s honor. so he put together a list of bands to have play Friday night at the Mutiny (fullerton & western). from a list of nine, only two bands showed: People Will Blink and Wake Of Poseidon. some of you may remember my review of People Will Blink from when they played the Lyons Den a few months ago. that was a good show, though the circumstances were somewhat different. for one, they had an auxiliary percussionist with them at the Lyons Den, but last night it was just the quartet.

after Wesley�s friend�s lengthy and somewhat muddled prologue/introduction, he introduced the band and they started in with �My Annual Wind Ritual�. though my memory may be hazy, I felt they played it better at the Lyons Den. in fact, through the whole set it seemed as though there were minor mistakes or communication issues or simply timing problems that disrupted the flow of some of the songs. not that it was a bad performance�it was very good�but I do feel their Lyons Den show was a little better. of course, I was sober last night, and at Lyons Den I�d been drinking to get through Milk Plow.

the set was similar to the Lyons Den show, with an added song written intentionally so people would dance. no one got moving on the dance floor, but the song was pretty dead on. I think if they�d had a few more like that�songs to get the crowd in the mood for dancing�it might have worked. even if they had begun the set there, they could have tricked the audience into thinking they were a dance band, then pulled out the tune that (I think) followed that one. it began with a cheesy faux reggae groove and seemed almost like they�d decided to give in and follow the Milk Plow route, but then after a minute it jumped to cheesy metal, then art-jazz post-rock, and back. and forth. though obviously I was not initially impressed, thinking back it was a good song, and I think the cheesiness may have had something to do with the keyboard sound or possibly a slight looseness in the groove. it should have been heavier and a little harder.

as at the Lyons Den, the highlights of this show were the video game theme songs, though again these were somewhat ragged with some missed notes and a hint of discord as though someone were out of tune. they still didn�t have level three ready, but I�m sure that will come soon. the other strong point was the �meow song�, though they�re still working on a title. it had its share of discordant parts, especially in the cat singing, but I think that was intentional. it certainly fit the song. it's a good closer, though i think if they have a show where the audience is on the same level as the band, they need to get some audience participation growing. maybe someone takes a mic into the crowd for meows. that'd be pretty cool.

other problems I noticed were more technical. the clarinet was difficult to make out, as it wasn�t mic�d right. they had the aforementioned mistakes, and People Will Blink still lacks a charismatic frontman. basically, the vocalists don�t seem to project outward, as though they�re shy or nervous. of course, just the fact that they�re on stage is something. I mean, why do you think I write reviews instead of performing my own music? of course, i somewhat sloppy People Will Blink show is still more fun/interesting than a perfectly played Milk Plow set. the show was certainly well worth all the money i spent on cover and drinks. and travel expenses.

overall, People Will Blink is a great band and always worth seeing. so you should go see them December 11 at the Lyons Den.

Rock over London. Rock on Chicago. People Will Blink: More Fun Than Accounting.

* * *

as for Wake of Poseidon, um, I got bored and went up front to the bar. it was more standard heavy rock, though their opening tribute to Wesley Willis was nice.

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