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The
Sights at Mac's by Nick Meador
There comes a time in every man’s life
when he must go
to a concert, even though he has a fever, because he is determined
to cover a band and debut a new music section for the student-run
online publication he just joined. So maybe that’s not quite
a universal experience, but that time for me was Saturday
night. I had never been to Mac's Bar
before, despite completing my undergraduate degree at MSU two years ago. Sometimes it is difficult to stray outside
of what we see as our everyday world. The venue was not designed
to host performing musicians. Patrons enter the building thru a
west-facing door, and the first thing I saw was the small bar with
an incoherent drunkard, who claims he works there, sitting at a
stool. Then as you make your way to the right, you see a small
area with tables, standing area and a stage only about a foot off
of the ground. There is no backstage area, so the four bands had
to collect their equipment at the back of the audience and perform
hectic set changes at the breaks. The drink of the night seemed
to be large PBR cans – a sign that the audience members had
strong constitutions. When I found out I had a fever, I decided
not to arrive until 11 pm, thinking that the Sights (the headline act) would take the stage around
then. Instead, I had to wait until 12:30 am for them to begin playing.
By that time I was tired and achy, and my ears hurt from the unsavory
opening acts. To make matters worse, a curly-haired foe stood directly
in front of the spot that I claimed long before. So I only stuck
it out for 10 minutes of the Sights’ performance. The band, consisting of Eddie Baranek
(vocals/guitars), Bobbie Emmett (organ/lefthand bass/vocals),
Keith Fox (drums), might be the only “Detroit” band I’ve ever seen. Does
that say something about my poor support of local music in the
past, or does it offer a hint to some greater problems in Michigan’s
music scenes? It was hard to tell if Baranek’s held up to
the studio recordings, or if the Mac’s Bar sound system is
just of low quality. But it seems that the real star is Emmett,
who captains the large wooden organ that could probably carry him,
with a sail affixed, across Lake Michigan. It goes without saying that I can’t provide an in-depth
analysis of the Sights. They seem like they have potential, if
they can escape the “Detroit garage-rock” shackles
that even Jack White has abandoned. In fact they seem to be a fun
and spirited group of young musicians. So the real problem wasn’t
the Sights, or the opening bands, or even my illness. The problem
has something to do with Mac’s Bar. I returned home wreaking
of nasty, rotten smoke, when, after living in Chicago for a year,
I am used to a public smoking ban (it’s such a beautiful
thing). But it’s unfair to pick on Mac’s Bar. The real problem is much more extensive. Music in Michigan, both live and recorded, is in dire trouble. There ares random sparks of brilliance here and there but, overall, Michigan’s cultural and artistic capacity are the things I am the least proud of as a native of the state. If you disagree, have fun with the babbling boozehound permanently planted at stool #2. I, however, am going to do my part to improve things. You are welcome to come along for the ride. |
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