After Dark with Beth LaMontagne

May 23, 2006

Vacation baby!

Beautiful downtown Vancouver.

Whenever I look forward to something, I usually can't stop talking about it. Anyone who's sat next to me at work, attended a municipal meeting in Kittery or drank with me at a bar in recent weeks, knows I'm heading to Vancouver for the next week, but I thought anyone else out there who knows me and checks this thing may not, so:

Hey, I'm in Vancouver for a week and it is going to totally rule!

In order for me to have a guilt-free conscience on my first big vacation in years, here are a few things to do while I'm gone.

Darkbuster with The Frosting and Grrrls out of Hell
May 25th 9pm $8 adv. $10 door
Stone Church, Newmarket

Frosting, aka, Stagecoach Dick, aka Shuttlecock are always worth the drive, not really becacue of their talent, per se, but for the show. They've been known to take the stage with a shine on and as one who likes to get a little toasty myself, I admire performers who do so as well. I don't know Darkbuster, but I've been told they're the East Coast NOFX. Take it for what you will.

DJ Kinetic
May 27 at 9 p.m.
The Red Door, State St. in Portsmouth

I usually try to see DJ Kinetic, or Trevor as I usually call him, when he's in town. He plays a great mix of intellectual electronic and old time favs. You can tell he went through a short goth phase and a short hip-hop phase and has come from the dark side of it a better man. Drinks will be high brow and expensive, but when was the last time you cleaned yourself up and had a night on the town, anyway.

Alcoa, Boy, The First Annual, Harper, Before They Set Sail
May 29 at 8 p.m.
The Red Door, State St. Portsmouth

I always try to see Alcoa, as well, since they are one of the few bands I've heard in town who know how to create skillful, interesting songs and play them well. For a $5 donation and cheap PBR, you can't really beat this night of live music. Just remember, you really, really, really have to be quiet.

Elsa Cross and Alexej Siren
Acoustic sonwriters
May 30 at 9 p.m.
Barley Pub, Central Ave. in Dover

If you missed the Stagecoach Dick show this past winter, you may not be aware of the sultry voice of Elsa Cross. Her rockabilly looks decive since her music is all soft country sung with the guts and gall of a true blues star. If you're going out drinking in Dover anyway, stop in. I guarantee you will fall in love.

Posted by blamontagne at May 23, 2006 03:29 PM

Comments

Hey Beth! It's Nate Laban from The Frosting. Hey thanks for that great shout our there in the article. Especially the "no talent" part. That was great. Well, seeming how you have never been to one of our shows besides our annual joke country show (Stagecoach Dick). Maybe it's time you headed out to see our "actual" band before making calls like that publicly. I mean I know you must be really busy writing for this "Huge" newspaper of yours that always seems to cover all the most Hip events in town like, um... well, never mind. But you know what I mean.

Oh and by the way:

"becacue" is actually spelled "because" and I think you may have meant "songwriters" not "sonwriters" in your article.

To sum up: Any writer with the kind of loose grip you seem to have on the English language and spelling in general, should probably not be the one responsible for assigning the word "talent" to anything let alone to me.

Good day,

-Nate Laban

Posted by: danteforbidden at May 30, 2006 04:35 PM

Hi Beth. First off I wanted to state the obvious, but your spelling is really pretty bad. Second, your writing style is very plain, boring, and well it is really lacking in talent. Sorry to be so harsh, I typically never criticize other people. It's just that, well, you asked for it.

Let me just say that I have never been to a 'The Frosting' show (due to the fact that i'm a recluse for the most part), but I have heard a lot of their music. I have heard all of the bands Nate has been in, and back when I used to socialize, I attended ALL of Nate's shows. Solo or with band, Nate is just a brilliant song writer, amazing performer, and well he's just damn sexxy (with two x's). There's talent spilling out all the members' ears of all the bands he's ever been in.

So to close my rant, think about pursuing a different career. Writing is not your forte, and being a critic, well there are already too many in this world and they all suck. What a useless career IMO. Oh, and make sure you actually attend a Frosting show (and not just pretend you did). While you're at it, if you get a chance to check out a solo gig of Nate's do so, and recognize what talent and sincerity is.

Oh, and try not to get 'frosted' at these shows, especially if you're going to drive home.

- Christian

Posted by: Chian Seeber at June 2, 2006 06:31 AM

Sorry, in the above closing statement I meant "try not to get 'toasty'... (in reference to your critique of the show). Sorry, it's early in the morning.

Posted by: Chian Seeber at June 2, 2006 06:34 AM

Beth,

I think many would resent the unqualified assertion that:

"...they are one of the few bands I've heard in town who know how to create skillful, interesting songs and play them well..."

How often do you really go out and catch live music?

As a so-called proponent of the local scene you are doing nothing to support it with your unfounded criticism and obvious lack of knowledge.

It's pretty sad when a blogger for a LOCAL paper will throw LOCAL musicians under the bus instead of giving them a leg up. The scene is tough enough without you adding your unqualified editorial into the mix.

If you are going to write a blog, maybe you should stick with a subject that is a bit more up your alley, like shopping...

Enjoy Vancouver... and stay there.

Posted by: NH Rock at June 2, 2006 02:56 PM

In all seriousness, unlike most of the mean-spirited crap posted here (including me), Nate put his name on his words, and that is to be respected. The question now is does he want to work it out with the author with whom he disagrees, or does he want to grandstand in a public forum and achieve nothing more than the petty nastiness that this has become.

Nate, I know you know Beth personally. Your bandmates do too. Talk to her. Her email is readily available and she's around town. She is reasonable. This has gone far enough. Seriously.

Posted by: sarcasticbiznatch at June 2, 2006 09:30 PM

First off-- Beth, your writing is fine. Better than fine.

Secondly-- this is a BLOG-- not a news story. Blogs are where OPINIONS live. It's fine that you disagree, and I can understand Nate being upset with the commentary-- but the rest of the people attacking Beth personally need to show some respect and, oh, I don't know-- DECENCY. You can disagree with her. You can think The Frosting and their Stagecoach Dick alter-ego are amazing (which I do, because they are)and you can say so. . . but telling people to change their careers, bashing the newspaper you are obviously reading, and generally reacting like petulant children ("You suck." "No, YOU suck") are just sad ways of getting your opinions across.

I'm just saying.

Posted by: Musestarved at June 5, 2006 11:00 AM

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