KEXP Holiday Benefit.

On Saturday, Nathan, Auri, H, and I attented the KEXP Holiday Benefit Show, night 2. The big highlight was the opportunity to see the one and only Mark Gardener of legendary shoegazers Ride. None of us had seen Ride, so this is as close as it could get (unless you count Andy Bell playing for Oasis, which I don't). And, lo, Mark did indeed grace us with a note-perfect rendition of "Taste", one of the most perfect songs in shoegaze history! His backing band for the tour, Goldrush, tended toward a bit too much of a Brit-cowboy sound for me, but they nailed it on this one. He also presented an acoustic version of another classic, "Vapour Trail". A lack of drums hurt this one, but the violin part definitely made up for it.

The rest of the show was a hit-and-miss affair. Openers The Divorce were quite peppy, although they were hurt by some detracting stage presence. Popular locals Harvey Danger were better than I would have guessed, and one of the most unlikely-looking rock groups ever. The final band that we saw was a group from Austin, TX, that I'd prefer to remain nameless. They "featured" accordion, steel guitar, and godforsaken neck-harmonica! Needless to say we lasted through one 10-minute dirge of a song before beating a path for the door.