Sleepy and Creepy

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
Creepy Crawl
St. Louis, MO
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Opening Act: Tub Rink
General Admission
$12.00

What is it about live music that's so exciting? When it's on, it's worth the late nights, smoky venues, all this stuff I would never subject myself to otherwise. And sometimes a band that I enjoy live is not one that I'd listen to at home. They just add that something extra in their live performance that makes the experience greater than the music.

Roy and I have seen Sleepytime Gorilla Museum twice now, I don't get exactly what their shtick is. Are they supposed to be demons? Aliens? Whatever it is, they are different but friendly. They all dress in weird costumes and makeup. The singer even appeared in a donkey head. It's a full package, with the visuals and lights tying into the music, all theatrical and dark. Song titles include "The Donkey-Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion" and "Sleep is Wrong".

I don't know how to describe their sound. It's definitely heavy, with violin and percussion along with the usual guitar, bass, and drums. So there's some different sounds and layering going on. At this show, the singer described the event as "electronic doom". I think we have their debut album, but it didn't do much for me. I quite like an album by one of their associated groups, Charming Hostess. Lots of vocals with off-kilter harmonies.

I first saw Sleepytime at Nearfest a few years back. It was 2003, which had one of the strongest lineups on paper, but worst sound and enjoyment of any festival I've been to. SGM opened Day 2. It wasn't really a good slot for them timewise, too early and comfortable for their ambience.

I was open to seeing them again. They were scheduled to play in St. Louis a few years back, but the show was canceled at the last minute. They played in Columbia, a couple hours away. I know someone from the area who went, but we weren't that interested. This time, they were booked at the Creepy Crawl, an all ages venue that usually features metal. I've been to a lot of dives and I didn't want to know what this place was going to be like.

Creepy Crawl recently moved from downtown to Grand Center, an area with lots of "nice" cultural venues. We had dinner at a nearby pizza place. The doors were supposed to open at 7, but it got pushed back at least an hour. We went to a nearby museum in the meantime. When we got back to the club, there were quite a few people there, including our friend Rich. We'd be seeing him at ProgDay in a few days as well. We talked to him, and since he was near the end of the line, we just stayed with him until the doors opened. I was happy to see there were some places to sit, even if it was bar stools that are too high for me. The club was a long, narrow box with a stage at the end and not much else. We sat at the bar in the small over-21 section and chatted some more.

Most of the audience was just hanging out, but when the opening act Tub Rink started, they moved to the front. Hey, I want to be in the front too! Or at least standing where someone wasn't blocking my view. I moved up to the stage, watching the band from between the shoulders of people in front of me. I get the feeling I enjoyed this band more being so close and being part of the crowd, rather than observing it from farther away. It was a high energy set. I was probably the oldest person up there and I was surprised the kids were singing along with the band. I'd never heard of them. They played about 45 minutes, which was enough for me.

Roy joined me up front in between the sets and we got a spot right at the stage. SGM took a while to set up their gear and do a soundcheck. Their set started around 10pm, my usual bedtime. SGM gets described as a "love 'em or hate 'em" type band, but I am pretty much in the middle. I enjoyed their set. Their stage show and presentation even more than the music itself. I can't really write much about the details of the music, it didn't worm its way into my head. I do remember the visual elements, like the red light shining underneath helped them look more satanic.

The show had an abrupt ending. I've never seen anything like this. It's an all ages venue on a weeknight. Apparently there's an 11PM curfew for the minors. At one point, the soundperson told the band they had 17 minutes until the kids had to leave. ok. What I didn't realize (nor the band, apparently) was that the show was ending when the kids left. Later on, they got a two-minute warning, and that's when the soundlady said the show had to end. She let them do one more song and that was it. The bar was still open for hours, but they had to stop playing. I thought the lack of communication was awful - the band should have been told about this before starting their set. It did work out well for me, since it wasn't too late a night and could have been worse. We talked to a couple bandmembers, said see you in a couple days to Rich, and headed home.