So I finally saw Lovedrug on Friday. The concert at Water Street in Rochester, and I went with my big sister (who, as of about a week ago, is a huge Lovedrug fan).
What a fucking amazing concert. They played a great variety of songs, about five of which are new. So, not only did the show make me extremely happy because I got to hear some of my favorite songs live, but I know there's more good stuff comin'. Yay. Really good stuff -- "Premunition" has been stuck in my head since I heard it.
Their chemistry was extremely evident, everyone just really seemed to be on the same page and I could hear every part crystal clear. Noticed harmonies more than I did on the recordings, as well as guitar stuff -- "Happy Apple Poison" in particular sounded fucking kick ass live, and the "We Were Owls" chorus was dead fucking on; in that they gave me chills.
Which is I guess what I really like about Lovedrug in particular -- they're a band with a lot of moments, I think, where things build up to the right place. They do this musically and lyrically which is, I think, important to note.
All my opera studying this semester has taught me that, for Richard Wagner, music cannot reach its full potential without it's partner, poetry. It was SO important to him. He could not write symphonies, apparently.
To Wagner, there are motifs in which the 'profoundest secrets of the poetic intent' are revealed. They're composed of music and poetry, both of which are essentially saying the same thing that sums up an entire story or message or feeling from beginning to end. I don't know. Wagner was a complicated man.
But sitting here, singing Lovedrug songs, I kind of understand that theory. There is something very purging about it, to have music and words so well-aligned. Something that captures a feeling that often cannot be put into any other form, as any art aims to do.
Additionally, I have great respect for any professional musician whose name not everyone knows. To be really good at what you do, and do it as your career, is a lucky match -- especially in a creative field like music or art or writing. You need endless dedication, patience and ambition, as well as the ability to adapt when things don't work out the way you planned. They're currently unsigned, after label problems and they once even had their van stolen on tour -- but they're still writing and recording with good results. Their new material has been so popular and well-received by their fans......sticking to the art, sticking to the craft and continually evolving yourself in it is just the way to go, I think. Nothing more commendable than turning your dreams into reality, which is what I think Wagner was trying to get at most of the time too. Mostly because he was insane and needed to justify it, but it worked.
Bottom line is the concertwas really, really, really good, and so satisfying. Even though they're one of my favorite bands, they still exceeded my expectations in their performance, abilities and attitude. I do wonder, though, if Michael Shepard will make his way back to the piano for any new songs -- I really, really liked his playing at the show but it was mostly for older material. I can't wait to see them again, though, and follow their work as it progresses.
