Wednesday, February 10, 9pm--TREVOR DUNN'S MAD LOVE with RED TAG RUMMAGE SALE
I recall sitting around my kitchen table after one of two visits (I can't recall whether it was the first or second) by Mr Bungle/Fantomas bassist Trevor Dunn and his partner, avant-harpist Shelley Burgon. Dunn is a veteran of downtown New York's experimental scene, having performed with dozens of musicians like Erik Friedlander and John Zorn, and at Soundlab he played an out set on upright bass that one facebook commenter (possibly expecting genre-bending rock along the lines of Mr Bungle) recently remembered as Dunn "rubbing a sponge up and down his bass for an hour." At some point in the midst of one of our conversations, he sort of provocatively, with a sly smirk, threw out something along the lines of, "how do you feel about Britney Spears? I love her." Shelley rolled her eyes as if she knew where this was going. I answered, "Oh yeah, of course. I love Britney. I love all that stuff." He shook his head: "No, i'm not joking," and I was like, "me neither. I totally love all that stuff." He looked at me not entirely sure if I was putting him on, but I wasn't. I assumed he was being sincere, but I also had to wonder if he was putting me on. It was a weird moment... 2 people who in our own ways had a longstanding affiliation with and dedication to forms of music that defy mainstream expectations trying to determine who was the more authentic fan... of Britney Spears.
I recall that story, which I hope I didn't make up but I'm quite certain that I didn't, only because Dunn has been getting a lot of press for his new band, Mad Love, by leaking that it was in some ways inspired by Britney Spears. Of course, it really isn't, although it is a much more mainstream rock project than what Soundlab audiences witnessed before ("rubbing a sponge up and down his bass for an hour"). Still, it's Dunn's version of mainstream. Check it out tonight with Red Tag Rummage Sale opening.
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