I'd love to offer a full narrative rehash of the Lottery League draft night, but since pretty much everyone present was hammered by the third round, screw the details. (Before you even THINK about taking a tone, I didn't start drinking until round 4. Nyah.) Despite shit weather, the turnout was very good, and the event attracted a fair number of non-participants. Theater maven and Leaguer Joe Milan emceed the event, and did an admirable job of keeping what could have easily amounted to little more than an hours-long recitation of obscure musicians' names very, very lively throughout the whole process. The process went like so - drummers were drawn in the first round, to ensure that every band had a credible spine. The second round was for musicians who offered access to rehearsal spaces. Rounds three and four were free-for-alls, and round five was set up like a game show bonus round - a few lucky bands, randomly selected, of course, chose from among several secret prizes, which ranged from gift cards at local restaurants to additional musicians (a couple of whom, I'll be blunt, I have serious trouble considering "prizes," but whatever). There was even a hall of fame induction - bands that survived past the last Lottery League show to continue gigging for the past two years were honored, including Gandhi SS,
Stimulus Package (sadly now defunct, but considered by many to be the best band to emerge from the League yet),
Valley Of Life, and the evening's performers,
Anal Cheetahs and
Mohammed Cartoon. (And now I'm starting to think I've maybe left someone out. Fuck.) Results are now posted at the League's
blog.
If you're familiar at all with the indie scene around here, many of those names may be familiar. I'll be profiling as many of the bands as I can in the coming weeks while the writing and rehearsal processes are underway, but for shits & grins I want to call some attention to a few interesting combinations. Band 28 features John Delzoppo of the death metal duo Clan of the Cave Bear, jazz saxophonist Christopher Burge, the versatile bassist Ed Stephens and Uno Lady vocalist Christa Ebert. Band 5 features one-time Six Parts Seven drummer Matt Chasney, guitarist Jason Shafer, best known for the sludgy power trio National Suicide Day, and two female vocalists, Karen Wegryn and keys player Mara Robinson. But many handicappers are salivating most over the possibilities inherent in bands 29 and 33. Band 29 includes Keelhaul drummer Will Scharf, John Kalman of Roué and Founding Fathers, Iron Oxide noise-ist Kat Stewart and Fuzzhead honcho Bill Weita, and will also be collaborating with filmmaker Matthew T. Band 33 pairs a heavy-hitting dream team of Craw founder/'90s scene figurehead Rockie Brockway and 9 Shock Terror/Amps II Eleven bassist/Parma figurehead Tony Erba with Roxanne Starnik, the superb singer of popsters JJ Magazine. If those two bands don't completely rule, God owes Planet Earth a fucking refund. - Kretsch
