Disappointing Scene

My friend Anne and I have been going to various local events. I want to see what's happening in this town because I need to fall in love with it. Last month we tried to go to the Art Hospital to see a toy piano player. A player of toy pianos, not a toy player of pianos. We got there and the place was empty of all human life. All that was there were some random things. I can't even categorized them from their randomness. A gumball machine, old signs, vintage bottles, vintage crap. So we left having not been witness to toy pianos and their player.

Despite this rather dumbfounding non-concert, we decided to check out Harry and the Potters a couple of weekends ago at Rhino's all ages music club. That made me feel really old. But it was nice to see kids being able to take part in "cool" activities at a "cool" venue. Most of them were middle schoolers who were each a little historical mirror of myself. Poor things. Someday, they'll make ever so har-har self-deprecating comments. Pre-show, there was a bouncy castle and face-painting and cake, which can only entertain tweens through one flip and three brushstrokes before they start skipping around with each other bouncing balloons and play fighting. I overheard a mother comment that the kids, skipping and laughing and bouncing balloons, must be really bored. She thought there would be more organized fun. . . . . If a kid is laughing, he's not bored. If a kid is having a finger sword fight, she's not bored. If kids are interacting with each other, they're not bored.

I got off track. Pre-show: awkward, awkward awkward. Opening band: Uncle Monster Face. They did a couple of Harry Potter themed raps/songs then a cover of "Like a Prayer." I like genre/style crossing covers--Travis, "Hit Me Baby One More Time;" Cake, "I Will Survive;" etc.--so "Like a Prayer" gave me good hopes, which soon came tumbling down on my like an avalanche of socks. Uncle Monster Face's gimmick is a sock puppet show. At the end of one song, a giant Uncle Monster Face man comes out in a suit and papier-mâché head. It reminded me a lot of the time Preston Hall elected Trogdor as wing liason. Their show was so bad that we left. There were two more bands to go before Harry and the Potters and it was already 2.5 hours after doors opened. And we were afraid of what the other bands were capable of doing, so we hesitantly left.

No Harry and the Potters this time.