The 9th Annual Dre Day at Dragonfly

I missed last year's Pu$$y Cow (photo to the left) hosted Dre Day.  I had a serious cold at the time.  There was no missing this one.  It was a fun time starting from the moment I got to the club.  The door guy was very friendly.  Then I went inside to pay the entrance fee to the ticket guy.  A third guy was working the event and as I turned to head inside the Dragonfly, he blocked my way.  He kept nodding his head towards the ticket guy.  I was wondering if I was supposed to get a hand stamp or wrist band.  I turned to the ticket guy, but he didn't seem to know what was going on either.  So I turned back to the third guy and he kept nodding his head towards the ticket guy.  Finally, frustrated with me, he said, "You said you wanted to buy a ticket and so what do you do next?"  I was in total confusion.  Was it customary to say "Thank you" at the Dragonfly?  ". . . you are supposed to give him $10."  I looked at him, thinking, "What?"  The ticket guy responded, "He already gave me the money."  The third guy said, "Oh, I didn't see that."  The ticket guy responded, "He was on top of things."  We shared a laugh.

Now I have to admit that ever since the Blue Star shut down that my music venue choices have basically been reduced to The Satellite, Silverlake Lounge and Bootleg HiFi.  So what was so great about Dre Day wasn't just the celebration, but catching bands that I haven't come across.

The first thing I noticed was the hyper-energy emanating from the bands.  Be it Jen from Payoff
playing that guitar from every possible bodily angle or Patrick from Lysolgang leaping to the ceiling or Pu$$y Cow throwing a party celebration and let's not forget Johnny Madcap and The Distractions keeping the crowd going in a post-midnight nightcap.  (I'm not saying you don't see similar hyper-energy sets at my recent favorite venues, but I say there is a 50-50 chance you'll see a more laid back approach.)  

Is it appropriate to say that Jen has Gwen Stefani vibes?  Lysolgang was by far the most fun for this photographer.  As for Pu$$y Cow, I've been very derelict.  How can one go close to 2 years without seeing a favorite KorK band?  Excuses aren't relevant.  They left a lovely mess on the Dragonfly floor.  Johnny Madcap and The Distractions ripped down with passion a sheet that revealed a marijuana leaf in front of the American flag.

Noticed:  all four bands had female guests musicians.

Brief encounters.  I was approached by one young woman (speculation being that she'd gotten in via a fake I.D.) who insisted that I keep photographing the bands.  Hey, I took over 300 photos :-).  I had a brief conversation with someone who was embarrassed by the fact that she had gone to the wrong bar and that all her friends were elsewhere.  Hmm.  She wasn't leaving, so she must have been enjoying herself.      


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