The Spin: The Ettes at The Basement
Photo by Tanya Wright.
For more photos, check out the slideshow at nashvillescene.com.
Sometimes the first band of the night goes on and everybody acts like the show hasn't really started yet. Not so on Friday night at The Basement. Maybe it's because love was in the air—Grimey and Mindy are engaged!—but people packed it in to catch our new neighbors The Ettes. (Yes, The Spin showed up on time.) Celebrating the release of their new album Look at Life Again Soon, the trio hadn't played a show in a couple months, but it didn't take them long to shake the rust off. They delivered one dirty-sweet garage-pop gem after another, and just when we found ourselves thinking, “Sure, this is great, but we wonder if this band has another gear”—the band popped the clutch on a number that blew our eyebrows back. Drummer Poni, who was just dynamite behind the kit all night, put the nitro into The Ettes' funny car, whipping her head around like a dervish and performing the rock ’n’ roll equivalent of peeling out on our ear drums. From there on out, The Ettes were really firing on all cylinders and the hoots and hollers from the crowd just got louder after each song. Welcome to Nashville, Ettes.
Comments
Weren't there 3 bands on this bill? What about Brian Ritchey's set?
Posted 09/02/2008 at 12:03:30 PMBrian Ritchey's set was really amazing. too bad that the new "hip" band got all the coverage. typical Scene.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:18:32 PMWow. Third story about these transplants in two weeks. Two questions, Cream. 1.) Which member of The Ettes are you? 2.) Who cares?
Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:27:13 PMI liked the Ettes...but yeah, Ritchey's set was freaking awesome.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:31:29 PMSteve H. just thinks they're really hot.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 03:46:31 PMBrian Ritchey's set was awesome and the new record is great, no review of record?????
Posted 09/02/2008 at 04:40:26 PMThe Ettes were a lot better when they were called the White Stripes,the girls are hot though!
Posted 09/02/2008 at 09:51:59 PMare they going to be on the cover next issue? or will it be another new band that has played 3 shows.
Posted 09/02/2008 at 11:16:24 PMAt least spread your legs for a band that's worth a fuck. Don't stop the presses every time a band you read about on an mp3 blog moves here. Imagine if Radiohead moved here. The Nashville Scene would re-name itself "The Radiohead Update".
Posted 09/02/2008 at 11:55:08 PMWriting compliments about bands you like is so fucking stupid.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 03:26:31 AMI wasn't at the show but did check out some footage on youtube. Do we need another punk blues trio in the world?? Not to be overly negative, but what these guys are doing may have been cool in New York, or maybe it wasn't and that's why they moved here. Who knows...but please Cream/Nashville Scene, please don't devote too much more coverage to these guys until they've broken some new ground musically.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 07:05:21 AMYes, the drummer is hot, but if you continue to cover this stuff, you'll only reinforce what a lot of people think about you...that you value style over substance.
Question for the Cream: what must a band do to pique your interest? And does the music itself ever come into play? And do you not think there are some local bands that are way more creative (albeit less fashionable) and original that deserve this kind of attention??? Other than Jeff, Meemaw, and Shoot the Mountain??
I am bored to tears by garage punk but if this blog fancies themselves the authority on that music, so be it. There are always going to be bands that are more creative than the Ettes (thank goodness) but less easy on the eyes, and this blog is mostly going to ignore them. Let's accept it, gently mock them a little, and move on. Remember, they actually sit through these shows and appear to enjoy them, so you can't say they're not doing their jobs.
Let's not try and change the world. This is, after all, the publication that put the Pink Spiders on the COVER. They've staked their claim and they can have it.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 09:40:36 AMNo shit! The jackasses running this blog don't even realize how biased and lame they are.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 11:24:01 AMNot sure about Haruch, but I actually heard and liked the Ettes long before they moved to Nashville and before I ever knew what they looked like. Crazy, huh?
Posted 09/03/2008 at 11:26:24 AMSo Matt,who knew who the Ettes were before anyone else so he's way cooler then you,and Steve both love em so maybe we can double the Ettes coverage now?
Posted 09/03/2008 at 11:40:36 AMYou'd make a good polititian. You ignore nuance like a champ.
And this is a music blog. Of course it's lame and biased.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 11:48:27 AMDoubling the Ettes would be a fun activity, WT, but not in the journalistic sense. And it would have to be without the dude.
The actual music = eh.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 01:02:32 PMSo, what part about the Ettes is easy on the eyes?? The drummer, who always seems to strike just the right 'cool' pose, is attractive, but the other chica, no offense, is pretty average. and, well, the dude just looks happy that two chicks will play in a band with him.
I think I can stomach this band, just as long as they don't cop the attitude that they somehow invented rock'n'roll. Such is the case for so many bands like this...they act as though no one has ever played garage punk before them.
Long live the Oblivians and the Gories and all the other 1st wave of bands that started ripping off the Stones and the Nuggets bands. If the world were right, the Gories would have gotten to where the White Stripes are now...anyway.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 02:07:59 PM