Geno's, February 5
By DAN CLARK | February 11, 2009
ALMOST FAMOUS: The author on stage |
There are few words to describe the experience of sharing a stage with your favorite band. For most of us, even those without eight-figure incomes or friends with influence, it's the stuff of dreams. Even a local band isn't likely to call you, a humble fan, to the stage to belt out the tune of your choice. Portland heroes Covered In Bees are no ordinary band.Last month, CIB announced a truly one-of-a-kind event: Death Punk Kareoke (which was intentionally misspelled to set it apart from what happens on Thursdays at your favorite bar). In their usual big-hearted fashion, the show was a charity event to benefit some friends who lost their home in a fire late last year. Everyone in attendance was given a slip of paper with slots for a name, a song, and whether they'd be performing solo or (for the shy) in a group or a duet with Boo, the Bees' dynamic frontman. To keep things both fair and random, names were chosen from a hat.
Many long-time CIB fans got to perform, including members of fellow local favorites Pigboat, Hatchetface and the Vipers, By Blood Alone, and the Horror. Among the non-musicians who performed was none other than yours truly, singing "New Age Swampman." Not much of a singer, I adopted my best Cannibal Corpse-style growl and somehow managed to remember 90 percent of the lyrics.
The close bond and massive affection CIB and their fans have always shared gave the event the feel of a gang of old friends getting together for a few laughs. There's some "buzz" going around that Death Punk Kareoke may not just be a one-time happening. If that's true, it's further proof dreams can come true after all.
Related:
One day at a time, Covered in Bees, Review: Timecrimes, More 
- One day at a time
Covered in Bees have never taken themselves too seriously, have a ton of talent and experience, play a style of music that's not known for its complexity, and are therefore well suited to taking a whack at this 24-hour album concept.
- Covered in Bees
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It all started with a simple act of voyeurism. Or did it?
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- Short-form Portland
I can hear the snarky comments already: "What?!? Rustic Overtones put out an album this year and Pfeifle hasn't fallen all over himself naming it #1? The sky is green!" But this isn't 1999. It's 2009. And it isn't all that strange for a phenomenal album to hit Portland's city streets anymore.
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I asked a bunch of people who really dig local music to help me make sure I wasn’t leaving any songs out when I was developing my list of the best 10 songs of the 2000s, but then I quickly realized that “best” is about as subjective as things come when you’re talking about songs.
- Less
Topics:
Live Reviews
, Dan Clark, covered in bees, Horror, More
, Dan Clark, covered in bees, Horror, Pigboat, Hatchetface, By Blood Alone, Cannibal Corpse, Less
