step back, let’s go pop
Stairway to power-pop heaven?
Mike Gent of the Figgs told a story to us recently about how his Gentlemen bandmate Ed Valauskas had met Rick Rubin and mentioned being in a band with “Mike Gent, you know, of the Figgs.” To my shock, Rubin’s response was not, “Who?” But “Oh yeah, the Figgs. They were a good band.” EdV: “Still are.”
For the uninitiated, Figgs are RIYL: The Kinks, The Replacements, Elvis Costello, The Plimsouls. Basically any sort of great power-pop. This one’s a throwback to 3/22/01 at San Fran’s Bottom of the Hill, circa the release of “Sucking in Stereo.” We have no recent shows of the Figgs, but to get a full sense of the songwriting lifespan on this upstate trio, go buy “Continue to Enjoy the Figgs,” a double disc set released in two parts by Gert Blandsten.
09 Waiting For the Sun to Rise
10 I Thought I Drank the Drink But the Drink Drank Me
Zipzipzip: Figgs 03.21.01
“Still are” — MySpace.
2 Comments
Seriously. The Figgs? You could not be doing a better job of rockin’ this bitch up. (sadly, it’s the highest compliment my friends and I have) I’ve never found a Figgs show anywhere and I’ve been looking for a long time. Of course, I realize that I’m a dumbass and that I’m probably just looking in the wrong places, but that doesn’t make your site any less kick-ass.
Andrew, there’s another live Figgs show (FLAC files) at http://www.nyctaper.com. Look under August 07. There are also two good ive shows available for purchase from eMusic. The live cd’s (Continue to Enjoy the Figgs pts 1 and 2) are the best, but I think you have to buy them at http://www.thefiggs.net.