GIVERS

On Sunday, I went to see GIVERS at The Middle East with Andrea and Miguel.

We started the night with Ethiopian food at Asmara.  The four different types of meat we ordered definitely made me feel like I was getting back on track with my high-protein diet.  The food was good; compared to my other experience with Ethiopian food (at Addis Red Sea back in freshman year), this was a lot better.

Ethiopian food at Asmara

After we ate, we walked down Mass Ave to the Middle East.  This was my first time stepping foot inside the fabled music venue/restaurant.  The opener for the opening act was some strange noise pop group.  I don't remember their name, which is no big loss.  The actual opening act was Lord Huron.  They weren't a particularly fun band to watch, but their songs were decent.  I'm not very good at describing music in words, so the best I can do is to say that they had the tropical brightness of Vampire Weekend mixed in with some mellow, introspective Fleet Foxes-like lyrics.  Their song "The Stranger" captures this aesthetic pretty accurately: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4oVsdiPTsv8#!

Lord Huron

GIVERS started their set around 10:40.  By that time, I was in a great mood and ready for something loud and joyous.  GIVERS completely killed it.  They had so much energy I nearly felt it reverberating off the low-slung ceiling of the Middle East's underground space.  Not only were they energetic, GIVERS also had the musical talent to pull off a live show that sounded just like their album (In Lights)-only louder and infinitely more dance-able.  And instead of coming at the beginning, like on the album, Up Up Up was performed last, in its rightful place as the highlight of a faultless set of songs.

GIVERS

We Are 1976

Over the weekend, I needed to pick up a gift for a friend's upcoming birthday.  Based on the rave reviews of a Dallas design blog I stumbled upon earlier this summer, I decided to check out a store called We Are 1976 in Lower Greenville, an up-and-coming neighborhood in East Dallas.  We Are 1976 is run by three siblings who have a passion for design and discovering unique products from around the world.  The store is not huge, but it was packed to the brim with cool stuff like a giant ceramic baby buddha head that hangs on the wall, a light fixture fashioned out of old books, and oddly-flavored Kit-Kat bars from Japan (sweet potato, anyone?).  I could easily spend a half day just looking at all the artwork for sale by local as well as far-flung artists, all of which the store sells either framed or unframed.

An hour after entering, I left We Are 1976 with the perfect gift for my friend.  I'll reveal what it is after the birthday celebration tomorrow night.