Team Band | Beat Kitchen, Chicago 3.27.08

Team Band – Team Band Anthem (Live) [mp3]

Seeing a Team Band show is a participatory experience that is both a pep rally and a book club discussion. It’s as if Team Band is the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew, forever trapped in the blogosphere and doomed to watch YouTube clips of emerging artists in the blog-rock scene while singer Greg Drama echoes the commentary of the singularly displaced human forced to live among the robots. But this being the wonderfully communal city of Chicago, all pretensions disappear in the slowly realized good fun this band is really about. Comfortably addressing the crowd, Drama lets everyone in on the joke and avoids alienating the audience with the weirder-than-thou shtick a la The Hives or Sex Pistols. There are no unwarranted claims spewing from the snappy faces of Team Band, yet they never shy from the self-loathing humor that sent cheeky acts like Cadence Weapon and Art Brut to the Top of the Pops of the indie rock world. And apparently some big names on both sides of the river have taken notice. I’m HIV positive we will see more of Team Band and I promise not to wear my Dr. Marten’s with white tube socks anymore if Team Band promises to remove the go-go dancers doped up on Xanax from any future performances.

Team Band – Bond (Live) [mp3]

Even though the music was great, there were the usual complaints for a show at Beat Kitchen. The stage area was criminally under populated due to the cover charge to get into the back room while the main bar remains free. And as Drama pointed out, Chicago is not a dancing city, but I think people would be more willing if a cohesive bill could be drawn up. The four bands that played couldn’t be more different as far as audience is concerned. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but supporting acts are meant to support, not merely fill a spot so people keep the bar’s wells wet. For an example, the back room was so sparse before Sweden’s Outshine did exactly the opposite, that a rocker type dude came up to my sister and I, lounging in a booth in the main bar, and asked very politely if we were going to make our way into the back room.

Me: Oh, are you with the band.
Him (in a Swedish accent): Yeah, I’m kind of the bassist.

He was ashamed to be the f***ing bassist in a serious metal band touring America! Who is at fault here? Must be capitalism some how! Give their songs a listen or at least stop by their myspace to help their egos recover from the spiritless gathering at The Beat Kitchen by upping their page views. That’s what it’s all about right? Sounds like a new Team Band song. Hey!