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Sunday, January 10, 2010

Yesterday the Stranger Suggested: Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme at the Tractor Tavern

Posted by on Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 2:20 PM

Kyle Regan—a masochistic Stranger reader—has vowed to do every single thing recommended by the Stranger Suggests (movies, galleries, bars, concerts) for the month of January. Look for his reports daily on Slog. —Eds.

Ah, familiar ground! A concert was something I knew I could handle. Concerts are home territory. I love them. Cramped quarters and loud music makes me giddy. The Tractor was a new locale for me, though, and it was great. Bartenders were friendly and brisk. The cute coat-check girl was quick and accommodating (holler?). Navigating between the bar, bathroom and band was a breeze. Now I'm going to hate Showbox Sodo that much more. But Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme?

Eldridge-Gravy-pic.jpg

I'm not really into funk. It's always sounded to me like a sped-up porn soundtrack. Kinda hard to enjoy music when it reminds you of Jenna Haze giving someone a rusty trombone. So I was a little apprehensive, picturing a 60's highschool reunion with nothing but chain-smoking baby-boomers and “bow chicka wow wow” on loop. But live funk? Holy fucking George Clinton on a cracker. I hadn't seen people get down like that since Ratatat was in town. Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme had me doing dance moves I didn't know I was capable of. And the great thing about this kind of concert is the people around you immediately become your friends. I went to the show alone but it didn't matter—my new dance buddies and I got down just fine. Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme is a funk U.S.E., which is the biggest compliment I can give. I don't know how they stack funk-wise, but any band that has me doing abridged Electric Slides on the dance floor is fucking awesome. A cover of Kurtis Blow's "The Breaks" cemented the night.

So Dave Segal was right to suggest this show and correct when he wrote that "sweet, sweaty times await you." It was a sweet, sweaty time and one I would've missed out on if I weren't doing this.

One complaint: if you're dancing hard, getting sweaty, and have dreadlocks, you might want to turn it down a notch. No one wants your sweat-drenched, cat-o-nine-tails hair lashing them in face. Seriously, man.

 

Comments (13) RSS

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NumberOne 1
"...a rusty trombone"

I love this kid's writings. Keep the euphemisms coming!
Posted by NumberOne on January 10, 2010 at 3:27 PM
2
These posts are the best thing I've read in The Stranger in a long time. Nice job kid.
Posted by tacomagirl on January 10, 2010 at 3:43 PM
person159 3
what tacomagirl said!
Posted by person159 on January 10, 2010 at 3:56 PM
4
Ditto above. Well done!
Posted by crystabrittany on January 10, 2010 at 5:14 PM
5
Love the reviews! I think each one has gotten progressively better.
Posted by Anodyne on January 10, 2010 at 5:20 PM
6
very pacific northwest

complaining about sweat in a nightclub where people are dancing.....

guess they just hate physical activity here...
Posted by king tut's wa wa hut on January 10, 2010 at 5:36 PM
care bear 7
I agree with @5. Keep 'em coming!
Posted by care bear on January 10, 2010 at 6:02 PM
8
stranger needs to hire this dude, stat.
Posted by kerri harrop http://generalbonkers.com on January 10, 2010 at 6:31 PM
in-frequent 9
i think he should win a schrammie for his guest slogging.
Posted by in-frequent on January 10, 2010 at 8:02 PM
in-frequent 10
(said jokingly)
Posted by in-frequent on January 10, 2010 at 8:17 PM
Bub 11
Love the "cat-o-nine-tails" comparison ... and these daily posts.
Posted by Bub on January 10, 2010 at 9:13 PM
12
"Kinda hard to enjoy music when it reminds you of Jenna Haze giving someone a rusty trombone. "

Now I would have thought the opposite.
Posted by dwight moody on January 11, 2010 at 10:10 AM
13
This is a great series.
Posted by RobotRevolution on January 11, 2010 at 12:43 PM

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