On Friday the 13th, I went with a friend to The Taste of Randolph street fest. I had heard of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but never really listened to them much. I'm always excited and willing to check out live music, though. I can't say they were bad. They were mediocre. For a band that's been around for about 10 years, they really needed to work on their stage presence. Out of the four members, only one (the bassist) interacted with the crowd and seemed to be in a good mood. The singer was too busy complaining to the sound guys. Maybe they didn't like playing a fest? It wasn't a horrible show, just very bland. As my friend said, we may as well have stayed home and listened to the CD. At least I got to have good tacos, and attend a full moon party afterwards!
On a personal note, one of my first memories is listening to my dad's Beatles LPs on our huge counsel turntable. I can vividly remember dancing around to "She Loves You" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" through those huge headphones. Since my junior high years, I would consider the Beatles my favorite band of all time. I lost my dad when I was only 19. As you may imagine, losing a parent at a young age is not easy at all. It has definitely left me with some emotional baggage, but that's a whole other blog!haha Now imagine being only 5 years old, and your dad is the world famous and beloved John Lennon. That is what Sean Lennon had to deal with then, and probably still has to deal with today. I could not imagine being in Sean's shoes.I don't think anyone could blame Sean if he ended up living on his trust fund, or trying to distance his self from the ghost of his famous father. Sean seems to have embraced the lot in life he has been dealt.
The band Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (GOASTT) is Sean Lennon and his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. When I heard they were performing at Lincoln Hall, I had to get tickets. It would probably be the closest I'd ever come to seeing a Beatle. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't know much of GOASTT's music when I bought the tickets. All I knew is that it had a psychedelic vibe to it. I do not normally gravitate towards that style of music. In preparation of the show, I downloaded the album Midnight Sun. I will admit I could be biased because I absolutely love John Lennon. I did really enjoy the album, though. I was surprised at just how much he sounded like his father, and the album seemed highly influenced by John's style. The more I listened to the album, the more I looked forward to the show.
I have seen pictures and video of Sean, and always thought he seemed a perfect mix of John and Yoko. When Sean came out on stage, it was incredible to witness that in person. He looked so much like his dad, with the exception of the darker hair and skin he got from Yoko. He even wore a modern version of the Lennon glasses, and a big floppy hat Yoko would wear. If you squinted it could have been John up there.
Once they started playing and Sean sang, you could hear his father in his voice. The similarities in his voice and style was pretty uncanny. GOASTT's music could easily blend in with the later era Beatles. It was a great psychedelic trip. I can't add too much about the music, except to say Charlotte is an exceptional singer as well. I figured it would be an enjoyable show, but I was surprised to enjoy it as much as I did. Sean has stepped out of the shadows, and embraced the ghost of his father.
Below is a photo I took. I do apologize for the blurriness. I could not get a good picture for some reason. I have also posted a NSFW video for their lead single "Animals"
