solex
november 13, 2001 • graceland, seattle wa
• review by janice • photography by mike


review: So, I was kinda nervous about this show 'cause Mike and I had somehow got our friends Jeremy and Karen (or as I've been calling 'em lately, "Kar-emy" and "Jer-en") to come out and see Solex with us. They're both really into electronic music, so I thought they might appreciate the sorta sample-heavy, electronic-y stuff that Elisabeth of Solex does. When Mike and I saw her play last year in Austin, TX, she completely kicked out butts with her explosive, high-energy show.

But, sadly, energies were running low at Graceland that night. I guess it was a Tuesday night, but I was hoping more people would show. And, oddly enough, I didn't think the opening bands were a very good match for the Solex sound. We hung out in the cafe/bar area of the club as the other bands finished their set. It was sooo nice! The guy from the cafe came out and give us all french fries as a gift!!! It was so nice! Sure, they were cold, but hey, we scarfed 'em anyway. As Karen said, "You know a band sucks when you're actually enjoying cold french fries!"

As Solex prepared to take the stage, more people started showing up, which I found encouraging. And then they started to play, which just dissolved all worries away from me!

Solex are just soo-ooo-ooo good! The stuff she does is just so eclectic and interesting and textured! Plus, she was rocking out with a star-shaped tambourine. That kinda clenched it. I was even happier that about three songs into the set, they kicked into one of my favorite songs "Solex All Licketysplit"! Right on! It's kind-of an older song, and when they played in Austin, I hoped she would play it and she didn't, so this made me happy.

But then something went awry with the guitar. The band stopped to try and fix things, stumbled back into another song, but unsatisfied with the results, they resumed trying to fix it. Elisabeth told us all they were going to have to take five, encouraging us to get some more drinks in the meantime. I totally understand that these things aren't their fault, but it did kinda kill the momentum.

Okay, band back up to form, they proceeded to play. Sadly, we haven't bought their new album yet (we're so poor!), but everything sounded really good! They did "Randy Costanza" and "Pick-Up" among others. And then that was it. The band said good night and left the stage. Honestly, I was a little bummed, because it didn't look like there would be an encore. People were starting to mill out the door. Then, a couple (who we think were with the band actually since they were video-taping everything) got the crowd worked up again, and we were able to cheer them back on stage for an encore. I was itching to shout out for another favorite Solex song of mine "The Burglars Are Coming", but then I didn't want to look like some freak alarmist or something. I figure, they did "Solex All Licketysplit" at this show, and they did "The Burglars..." when we saw them in Austin, so it all balances out, right? : )

So, despite the technical difficulties and the low-energy Tuesday night scene, Solex were awesome. And Jer and Kar say they liked 'em, so that's all we need to hear! ; )

related links


• check out more awesome pics of the show at photophonic.com!