Bands I Wish Would Reunite So Lucia Could See Them

It seems to be all the rage this decade for indie bands of the 80's and 90's to reunite for a tour and sometimes a record or two. These were the bands I saw live the first time around or at least on which I cut my indie rock teeth. I wish many of them would reunite in maybe five years so that Lucia could see them as well. I say five years because a concert at this stage would only scare her. She will bee rambunctious and ready to dance in five years by my estimates.

Here's my list of top 10 reunions I wish Lucia could see.

10. Coctails
Before The Sea & Cake and before there was a Chicago sound in indie rock, there was Coctails. This band brought jazz to indie shows and had a huge influence on independent music. This is a reunion I'd also be very excited to see happen. I saw them several times in the mid-nineties, including their last jaunt in '95.

9.The Velvet Underground
OK. So, if this reunion happened again in five years or so, VU survivors would barely be able to stand on stage much less sound like they did back in the day. But it would still be cool, wouldn't it? These are the grandfathers (literally and figuratively) of punk and indie rock. Lucia should see such an influence on her father's record collection.


8. The Breeders
I had to get some ladies on this list. Besides, what band knows more about reunion tours than The Breeders? My other hope is that the Deal sisters would be cleaner than they've been for years so that they would sound like they did in the mid-nineties. Lucia needs some strong ladies to look up to. The Breeders first broke through in a time when heavy, masculine music was dominating music and they didn't do it with acoustic ballads. No, The Breeders rocked and partied harder than any of their male counterparts.


7. Pixies
While I'm on Kim Deal and her many comebacks, Lucia should see yet another quintessential band in indie rock history. I already saw Pixies on one of their reunion tours, but another generation needs to witness their greatness. She should know where Nirvana learned that loud/soft aesthetic or where Isaac Brock found his growl. This band, like most on this list, have had an enormous impact on the indie landscape. I want Lucia to know some of that history. So, we'll be there for the Pixies' fifth reunion tour.


6. Dinosaur Jr.
This band has been on a perpetual reunion. They've even gone so far as to record two albums (one was a typically bland reunion album; the second is reminiscent of their best word) since returning to the scene. However, I bet they'll grow tired of each other and break up again, just in time to reunite for Lucia's sixth birthday. They'll have to play outdoors, though. I can't risk Lu losing her hearing at such a young age.


5. Archers of Loaf
I really don't understand why no one is talking about an Archers of Loaf reunion. People just don't understand how incredible this band was live. Lucia knows "Web In Front" as I used to sing it to her while helping her get to sleep sleep. She should also know the sheer power that is Archers of Loaf.


4. Nirvana/Brainiac/Elliott Smith
I realize that none of these acts are no longer active due to tragic deaths, but wouldn't it be cool if they could come back to life just to play a Zombiepalooza or something? In all seriousness, Nirvana, Brainiac, and Elliott Smith were three of the biggest reasons I spend so much time and money on records and rock shows. I was lucky enough to see all of them live. Sadly, Lucia won't be so lucky.


3. Uncle Tupelo/Neutral Milk Hotel
These are two bands that I never saw due to discovering them too late, but I imagine it would be great to see them for the first time with Lu. Uncle Tupelo made my third-favorite genre, alt.country (whatever that is), possible and birthed two of my favorite bands of the past 15 years in Wilco and Son Volt. Neutral Milk Hotel recorded maybe the greatest album of my lifetime not recorded by Pavement. Seeing them together would be the ultimate father/daughter experience.


2. Sleater-Kinney
Too much sausage in this list. Possibly my favorite grrrl band ever comes in at number 2. I only saw them a few times back in the day, but they were so, so good live. The first time I saw Sleater-Kinney was in Amsterdam. Maybe if they come back, I can tell Lucia all about that trip.



1. Pavement
I know there has been recent talk of a Pavement reunion on the internets, but this really needs to happen 2015/16. Lucia will need to see what all the fuss is about after listening to my reminiscence of all the great Pavement records with the guy yelling in the background and the nonsensical lyrics or the terrible shows that were regularly hijacked my inadequate drummers and forgetful guitarists. She needs to know Pavement power. She needs to hear SM manipulate the lyrics and phrasing to his every whim. Lucia needs to know that Mark Ibold was in a band before Free Kitten or Sonic Youth. She needs to know Pavement.

...And They Came From Chicago

There seems to be quite the Chicago connection to these here parts. The home of Pitchfork, Lollapalooza, and the Cubs has had a lasting affect on COMO over the years. It's almost as if people forget about St. Louis and Kansas City and consider Chicago our major city, and bands from the windy city like to travel to COMO on a regular basis.

Anyway, I got a chance to check out two Chicago bands this week, the Sea & Cake and Wilco. Neither band was particularly inspiring, but a pleasant diversions nonetheless.

Monday night was a busy night for me. I had to drive the 56 miles to Wellsville to conduct a training session only to turn around four hours later in hopes of making it to the Blue Note for Sea & Cake. S&C is one R's three favorite bands, so it was easy to choose this show over watching crappy TV.

Although I have not been an avid Sea & Cake fan, I have followed their particular rock style for some time. I loved Coctails, Archer Prewitt's former band, from the early to mid-nineties. they made jazz, bossa nova, and other not-so-grunge styles seem rather avant-garde or at least hip while touring the indie circuit. I was always amazed at how many different instruments Coctails could fit on a single stage. They had a fantastic cult following and will always hold a place in my music collection.

Back to the present...the Sea & Cake were a stripped-down version of themselves featuring no keyboards or computers. I liked what they were doing. The performance had sort of a rehearsal feel as the band rocked through a nice mix of old and new. The only drawback was that the sound was awful. Between that and my fatigue, we left early, but were satisfied with the band's performance, just not the sound system's.

Last night, I made it out for Wilco's triumphant return to their home-away-from-home on the enormous Ninth Street stage. I love Wilco's records (sans the last one) but I could take or leave their live show. Wilco's string of three near-classic records (Summer Teeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and A Ghost is Born) are super impressive and cover a wide array of styles and influences. They were good when I saw them play with Sonic Youth in Cleveland (although SY was better that night) and great two years ago on Ninth, but OK every other time, including last night's lackluster effort.

What didn't I like? Where do I begin? Jeff Tweedy looks like Bob Dylan going through an Ernest Hemingway stage - not good. Many concert-goers were looking rather bored. Nels Cline looks so out-of-place. The set was slow, plodding even. They play to the lowest-common denominator, even the avant garde stuff. Wilco failed to play mainstay "Misunderstood" leaving my best Wilco joke null and void. I could go on, but I'll spare you my indie-rock-snobbery.

There were a few highlights, though. The band did fit in a Woody Guthry song in tribute to their days on Mermaid Avenue (although, it really just made me wish Billy Bragg would walk on stage and take over). They also played the rocker "Casino Queen" from A.M. I mean, they are still one of the top ten or so bands making records (or Volkswagen ads), so the night was not awful, just not all that inspiring.