Photo not taken by Off Tempo

I’m unsure how many times So Many Dynamos has gone on tour around the pacific northwest yet something tells me that it’s only been about four times. This bout was in Bellingham, Washington, at a house called the echoplex. I recall speaking to someone in Seattle about that house and that special someone sneered about themselves playing at the echoplex in L.A. I’m still not sure if that was supposed to be criticism or boast. In leu of his statement, I repeated it with a decrescendo.

Though I myself have not been to the echoplex in L.A. I found the Bellingham version quite nice. It was in a garage with a few mattresses propped up against the wall facing the backs of the band, a loft area you had to ascend some awkwardly slanted stares to get up to (then duck), complete with poor lighting and some up-top sitting space for spectators. It had a very homey feel to it, which probably had another thing to do with everyone knowing everyone there… Except for me and my two posse.

So Many Dynamos had booked the show possibly through their friends/fans Police Teeth and this particular gig was supposed to be a secret thing so the cops wouldn’t pop up. I had the feeling that this was the general rule for the house/garage anyway.

The band’s playing, we’re having a good time, the vocals aren’t loud enough, and Norm’s (now his true name, Clayton) high hat is messing with my recording, we’re drinking. Generally good times. Then, someone comes in and says that the cops are here. We start to make a small ruckus and then we shush. This happens in waves of someone saying something, we get loud, then shushed and happens at least three more times until the Ryan (of the band) whispers…

“We like it hot hot hot”

Then asks us to repeat that whilst in a whisper. We as a crowd giggle a bit. This keeps happening and, I think, Norm starts to softly hit his high hat to our “hot hot hot”‘s and there’s a big “oh no, we’re loud again” moment. Finally someone comes in and tells us that the cops have left but the band can only play a few more songs. They, really, don’t care too much after a while and finish the set out.

Turns out the cops actually didn’t show up on account of there being loud rock music coming from the garage. Instead  a neighbor called to complain about a car parked in from the Echoplex house that was playing rap music really loud. We laughed. Then Hemingway punched me in the mouth.