Built to Spill

Show Season, Back on Track.

A buddy of mine once drove from DC to Denver to see Built to Spill. After seeing them at the 930 Club last night, I can see why. This band is classic rock in the making. With a great falsetto voice and road-tested guitar chops, lead singer Doug Martsch is the truth. His lyrics are even better:

From Goin' Against Your Mind: "People feel that we don't understand/what it takes to want to be a man/I don't care much for that/I don't know why."

From Traces: "I know it's hard sometimes for you to tell/where you end and where the world begins./You do your best to avoid assimilation/I guess that's the best you can do."

The finale, however, was a disaster. Using a combination of live music and a pre-recorded video feed, the band waxed political on us. And what was their cause celebre? Eco-terrorism. Not pro-environment. Not anti-development. But pro-eco-terror.

Holy Left Coast. Holy soapbox. Holy I never - ever - want to see anything like that again.