December 2, 2011
My friend Jon Hammer plays in a band called Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. and I’ve been trying to see them live for quite a little while now. Jon and Karen McBurnie are the publishers of the fine online publication, Grade “A” Fancy (they have a wonderful new edition out, check it out here: “Algebra of Ordering.” Well, tonight Jon has informed me that Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. are playing a gig at the Manderley Bar in the McKittrick Hotel, which is hosting a theater production of, “Sleep No More.” I’m working too late to attend the play, but I should be able to catch the band’s show, which starts at 10:30 pm. According to the band’s website, “ballads, boogies and blues,” is what they do. So let’s go see them do these things they do.
The bar is on 27th Street between 10th and 11th and it sounded like a short walk from where I work, but I rarely venture westward past 9th and realize that this is a little bit of a haul. At least it's not freezing out, so far we've been lucky this winter.
And here we are at the Manderley Bar. It's a little swanky here complete with a doorman who told me I could take a picture of the sign, but once inside, there's no pictures allowed.
Sheesh, kind of a "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service," moment. Looks like I'll have to keep the flash off of the camera.
Wow, the place is packed and it's really dark in here.
The walls are draped in red linen and the lighting is low. At first I had a mini panic attack as I didn't see a bar.
Aaahh, here it is. It's about three deep, so it took a little while to get a beer, but finally I got one, it's pretty crowded in here and a little rough to maneuver around.
So I found a corner of the room near the bar, drank beer and stared at this lamp that reminded me of the Christmas hats they wore in the film, "The Ref," which is more than ironic if you read the first reference to the IMDb information about that movie.
After being tranced out by staring at that light and drinking beer, I'm awakened by the entrance of Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co!
Nice to see I'm not the only one breaking the "no photos" rule.
From left: Garth on doghoue bass and harmonies, Michael on lead guitar and vocals and Jon on rhythm guitar and harmonies. They're a tight band, but lots of fun as well.
Chrome dome alert!
It may seem like a lean line up with only three instruments and no drums, but this rockabilly boogiefied trio really packs a punch. Michael is a funny and witty, carnivalesque front man, a great singer and plays stinging solos. Jon and Garth are a powerhouse rhythm section and add whomping, stomping harmonies to the mix. Check the dates on their website and see them if you can, you won't be disappointed.
The Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. Great show, guys! Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.
Further reading: Jalopy, Reverbnation and facecrack.
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