Retribution Gospel Choir
February 14th, 2013
DC9
Washington, D.C.


Source:
Roland Edirol R-09 (onboard mics, low-cut on, AGC off) > WaveLab (Puncher (harddensity, 75% effect, 0% output gain) + SL-1 StereoExpander (100%)) + levels normalized to -0.5dB in two halves (adjusted levels down a bit before Art Brenner guest appearance)> > CDWAV (tracks split and saved as .FLAC level 8 ) > foobar2000 (Tags + ReplayGain)

Location: A cozy corner table all to myself, house front-right.

Taper: ZaPenguin (zappa.penguin(AT)gmail.com or
http://db.etree.org/ZappaPenguin)

SOUND QUALITY: A/A-. Really pleasantly surprised with how well this turned out, considering how absolutely horrible my last DC9 recording turned out. A tiny bit of fuzz on the low-end prevents me from giving this a flat-out "A" with a clean conscience, but it's really only noticable if you're looking for flaws.


THE BAND:
Alan Sparhawk (guitar, vocals, sampler)
Steve Garrington (bass)
Eric Pollard (drums, vocals)

SPECIAL GUEST:
Art Brenner (?) (guitar on track 6)
(not 100% sure I'm getting the name right)


TRACK LIST:
01. tuning [0:45]
02. [5:30]
03. [8:39]
04. [21:14]
05. Art Brenner introduction [0:33]
06. [15:39]
07. lifetime residential banter [0:54]
08. [5:03]
09. [3:57]


MINI BIO:
The most important thing to know about the rock trio Retribution Gospel Choir is that they are likely the most physically fit band on Earth. Drummer Eric Pollard is a distance swimmer, and Ultimate Frisbee champion with state basketball credentials. Bassist Steve Garrington also dazzles on the court, but it�s his long-distance running skills that mark him a champion. Alan Sparhawk, who plays guitar and sings, has extensive experience in American football, has been scouted for coaching work and stays fit as a distance trail runner and member of the band Low. Certainly, this trio would destroy any other band in a 10k race, and then still do the gig.

- Biography on DC9's events calendar


BAND PAGE:
http://retributiongospelchoir.com/


SHOW NOTES:
I'll admit. I wasn't really looking forward to going to this show. I had completely forgotten about it until my calendar reminder popped up, and I spent most of the afternoon and evening agonizing over whether to bother going at all. I hate driving in D.C., I hate parking in D.C., and I hate taking the expensive-ass subway into D.C. and agonizing over whether I'll make it out by the (infuriatingly early) time the subway shuts down. Not to mention I wasn't exactly cherishing the thought of dealing with the clusterfuck that is Georgia Avenue with a cracked sideview mirror.

After quite some time spent dicking around with taxi fares and the Metro trip planner, I finally gave up and decided I'd brave the trip. After all, a friend had recommended I check out the Retribution Gospel Choir, and even though I was somewhat underwhelmed by the two or three concerts I skipped through on archive.org, I felt I at least owed it to the guy to check them out.

So I collected my Big Bag of Recording Gear (much thanks to Tawabata of the AMT for gifting me a free bag - I wouldn't have had the sense to buy one for myself, and it sure beats being the guy who always shows up with a plastic shopping bag) and trundled off to my car.

The drive down was thankfully uneventful, but parking was a complete nightmare, as it often is in D.C. The spot I finally secured came complete with a really sketchy parking meter with frustratingly oblique "instructions" bringing to mind the famous Zen koan, "is 'unlimited parking' the same as 'free parking'". The answer in this case was evidently a "no", and it wasn't altogether clear whether the credit card reader was broken or if it just didn't want me to put my credit card in twice in a row. With time pressing up against me, I gave it an almighty shrug and a whispered "fuck it" as I launched on my six-block walk to the DC9, managing to cross five of the six streets without nearly getting killed (in my defense, there was absolutely no traffic coming from the left; though I suppose it's fair to add that in defense of the drivers I nearly got run over by, it happened to be a one-way street).

Due to the delays involved with the complete snafu situation that was "parking in D.C.", the opening act - a seemingly-local (I'm assuming from the mentions of Dischord) band called Deathfix - was in the middle of their set by the time I got to the club. As I glanced over at the soundman - who I recognized as previously working at the Red & Black and being pretty protective and quite curt when it came to his soundboard - I took a deep sigh and hunkered down for what, if the omens were to be trusted, was sure to be ninety minutes of pure hell.

Seventy minutes of incredible, hypnotic guitar-driven stoner-metal-meets-psych-trance music later, I stumbled from DC9 a changed man. No parking ticket, and in the ultimate of slightly-bitter but mostly-sweet ironies, I would have had plenty of time to catch the subway had I chose to take it. Still a bit bummed about missing most of Deathfix's set, as what I did hear sounded quite interesting in places - but they'll be playing again soon, so I'll at least have the chance to make up for it, should I so choose.

Not quite sure who it is guesting on track 6 - it sounds like Mr. Sparhawk is saying "Art Brenner", but it's somewhat hard to make out for sure. Whoever it is does a fine job on guitar, creating fifteen minutes of densely-interwoven dual-guitar bliss - hard to tell if this is the highlight of the night, or if the twenty-minute Melvinsesque winding road of track 4 comes out on top. Like any good sandwich, this thirty-five minutes of meaty heaven is bookended by some damn fine bread on either end - perhaps less jaw-droppingly intense, but good bread is good bread. The two songs at the start are in the off-kilter, grungy vein (track 02 is possibly even more Melvinsesque than the twenty-minute opus in the middle - sounds like something from the Atlantic era), and the show concludes with two slightly quieter, sweeter numbers to give us all a great chance to drift back down and catch our collective breath.


REQUESTS & REMINDERS:
Do not sell this recording. Do not buy this recording. Do not sell this recording, then buy it from yourself. Always tape from the right side of DC9.


CREDITS:
Torrented by the taper: ZaPenguin

email - zappa.penguin(AT)gmail.com
web - http://db.etree.org/zappapenguin (always woefully out of date)

Band page: http://retributiongospelchoir.com/