Remember when I told you a couple of days ago that, in the summer, for teachers, every day is Saturday.  We get operational proof of that today.  I rolled out of the rack this morning, fed the littlest Dick, put on a pot of coffee, put the littlest Dick down for a nap, and fired up the computer to check my electronic mail.  The first memo was this one, from our own Diamond Jim, reprinted here in its entirety:

"Please post a lazy Saturday. That is all."

I forgot that this was actually Saturday.  Totally slipped my mind.  My halcyon days of summer have bled together to such a degree that I am now officially unable to identify the days of the week.  Crazy times.  I haven't quite slipped to this level, but I think I'm close. 

It was a big week for shows at Citizen Dick's Cleveland campus.  On Sunday, Kevin and I took in Indianapolis's We Are Hex at the Happy Dog.  We were expecting a raucous, noisy affair and were not disappointed.  Frontwoman Jilly Weiis is a whirling dervish of energy, bounding across the stage, standing on tables, throwing shit, and (through it all) absolutely wailing out impassioned vocals.  There's a good bit of Karen O in her stage presence, I'd argue, but that's the sort of sincere, powerful delivery that translates really well in a small venue (and probably in a larger venue as well; but in the intimate setting, you get the added bonus of being close to the energy, which is always good.).  The rest of the quartet fills out We Are Hex's sound with a pummeling, yet diverse, post-punk cacophony.  Matt Hagan (guitars) had a shit ton of pedals and squeaked a wide array of tortured noises and squeals from his ax.  Trevor Wathen (bass), produced a series of killer lines and probably would have been the focus of attention if Jilly wasn't rattling about.  Overall, the show was outstanding, recalling a broad range of bands over the course of the set (I swear to Christ that I heard the bass riff from "Psycho Killer" in the closing strains of the last song of the set).  If We Are Hex gets close to your neighborhood, it's certainly worth the trip out.  Wear a shirt you don't mind sweating through.  (Editor's Note: Kevin took video with his fancy new iphone, but couldn't sort out how to transpose that to the interwebs.  He had much better luck at the next show we'll discuss, but we are sadly without video from the Happy Dog.  In the stead of visuals, however, we've got another killer track from We Are Hex's recently released sophomore record.  Enjoy.)

We Are Hex – Birthplace of the Mystics

On Tuesday, Kevin, Rob, Vince (C.D.Attache to the Lake County Embassy), and I caught Sleigh Bells.  Rob's been pushing Treats on me for a good while and been extolling the virtues of Sleigh Bells in this forum for a good long while.  They were as good as advertised.  Strobe lights, hair metal histrionics, and sweat defined the set for me.  I don't think I have to sell you on Sleigh Bells at this point, right?  They're good.  Kevin had worked out his technical issues by this point, so we can give you a perfect display of the anarchy that is "Infinity Guitars."  Shit yeah.  Also, Alexis said that we were the best crowd ever.  She probably says that to all the crowds, but I blushed anyway.

It's been a while since we first reviewed Floating Action, but it's a record from last year that I find myself appreciating more as time passes.  When a track from that record pops up on the random play, I always smile.  I liked the record at the time and then kind of stopped thinking about it.  My bad.  (Grammar Note: Shouldn't this song be "I Bleed Easily?"  It should, right?  What would it even mean if "easy" was a predicate adjective here?  Discuss.)

Floating Action – I Bleed Easy – Live

Lastly today, Mrs. Citizen came through with the world's greatest anniversary present.  On August 17, the C.D.Attache to the Lake County Embassy (Vince) and I will travel to Chicago, stay with Acting C.D. Chicagoland Adviser (N.B.) and take in My Morning Jacket.  We're also going to play some disc golf, catch a Cubs game and, in general, raise a little bit of Hell.  In the run-up to that weekend, I'll throw some MMJ at'cha, just to prime my own brain.  Word.

My Morning Jacket – The Dark – Live