| by Mike Sheahan
For good enough reason, it is easy to forget
how important the FLC student body is to the local community.
Individually, the local college students are among some of the
nicest and smartest people I've ever met. En masse, however,
they can be an exceedingly loud, juvenile bunch with a propensity
for drinking outside their budgetary and biological means. Usually,
such behavior ends, in mild cases, with the tipping over of
trash cans or, in more extreme cases, actual gun play.
Whatever the case, the end of the school
year is generally met by non-FLC students with a collective
sigh of relief. For the next couple of weeks Durango will seem
a lot like a regular town. The late night sidewalks have been
cleared of most of the foul mouthed college kids who are now
home trying to keep a straight face while telling their parents
about their meaningful and expensive personal journeys. Meanwhile,
the daytime streets are still largely free of the lumbering
RVs and creeping SUVs that will soon crowd them and turn a quick
trip across town into a finger-flipping 40-minute affair.
The downside to such a slow time is that,
well, time is slow. This is the week to see if you can fire
up the lawn mower with last year's gas still in it or, if that
doesn't work, hang the hammock so high that the grass still
won't be touching it by mid-July. The point is that there ain't
a lot going on this week, but here are three worthy ideas that'd
hold their own in an action-packed week.
The Friday Night Supper Club
at Storyville is always a great chance to get an early jump
on your weekend by catching up with some friends you haven't
seen for some time while hearing some good music and enjoying
food that Storyville's own Dave Thibodeau once joked, "won't
kill ya."
If you are a Durango
High School student, this Friday's supper club (May 7) might be of
particular appeal as all the members of the early evening music
entertainment, The
Erasers , also
moonlight as DHS teachers. As a high school student you may, like I
did, think your teachers, and adults in general, are pretty dorky.
Here is an opportunity to prove yourself wrong. The Supper Club and
live music begin at 5:30 p.m.
 When
finished with the Supper Club, one should have plenty of time
to drop the kids at the sitters, put on your Dr. Martens and
a leather jacket, and head to the Abbey Theatre for a night
of punk and metal music. The punk will be provided by the local
group, Suitcase . I have yet to see the band, but I hear the
singer is above reproach in all ways. Next the metal will be
provided by the band once known as Sacred Sun, now known as
Satyrica , which will use the party to celebrate the release
of its new CD.
When it comes to things
metal, I am about as out of my element as our president seems to be
when discussing domestic economic policies. As G. Dub should when
confronted with such a dilemma, I consulted an expert. Enter
Durango's resident metal head Jon Leonard. Jon was nice enough to
entertain my inane metal questions for a few minutes before hanging
up on me. This is our conversation:
Me (the dummy): "What
are the two best metal bands ever?"
Jon (the smart one):
"Whew, I'd have to go with Black Sabbath and Metallica.
Me: What is the
worst?"
Jon: "I guess Stryper,
but they're not really metal."
Me: "So, like, what
separates a good metal band from a bad metal band?"
Jon: "Three things, the
lead guitar must (rip), the message or lyrical content must be
powerful and the band must avoid the typical metal clich`E9.
"
Me: "Which
is?"
Jon: "Satan and Drugs
are cool."
Me: "In that order? What
did you have for lunch?"
Jon: "Skipped
it."
Me: "Is that a metal
thing to do?"
Jon: "Yes, can I hang up
now?"
Me: "One more thing,
what category does Satyrica fall under?"
Jon: "They go under
kick-ass, do we have that one yet?"
Me: "We do now, thanks
Jon."
Jon: "Whatever."
(click)
All too-often, we Durangoans lay back on our haunches and pass
on an upcoming night of live music either because it's a work
night or the band doesn't have a name as immediately recognizable
as Leftover Salmon or Quiet Riot. That said, if you  miss
the stop by No River City at Storyville on Tuesday, May 11,
it's your own fault and not mine. This Atlanta, Georgia, duo
is touring behind the release of its debut album, "This is our
North Dakota."
Largely punctuated by
acoustic guitar and cello, the sound is dark and introspective but
also inviting. Guitar player Drew de Man was once quoted as
describing the band's sound as the combination of Country and Emo
or as he dubbed it "Cremo."
As a working stiff, I
know how hard it is to drag oneself out on a Tuesday night, but if
you only head out for one off night this week this is the one.
Based solely on hearing "This is our North Dakota" and the amount
of press I've read, this is a sleeper akin to Will Oldham's visit
last year. See you there.
If you don't like that,
Ozzfest will pollute the Four Corners soon.
mpsheahan@yahoo.com
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