Empath from Philadelphia who releases music from Mississippi’s Fat Possum records played Cafe Bourbon Street Friday. I walked to Hudson and High. I planned on catching the 31. There was an abundance of litter around my stop. I decided I would walk.

I arrived while one of the opening acts was playing.

The band’s singer yelled “Whoop, Whoop” somewhere.

While I purchased a beer a friend told me Shaggy2Dope of the Insane Clown Posse was performing at the Summit next door.

I’ve watched Pains of Being Pure of Heart, and Blank Dogs at The Summit.

I thought either ICP isn’t as popular as they used to be or we were in for a real treat.

I speculated Shaggy2Dope was performing because the Insane Clown Posse’s Ohio festival was this week. While the Gathering was August 3-6, this didn’t stop me from pontificating about Juggalos. 

A band consisting of two blonde women and two men took the stage. The women singer sung over up-beat tempos which sounded like if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Unicorns, and Mates of State had heard Columbus’ All Dog’s “That Kind of Girl.”

I thought: this band and looks like Empath who I came to watch.

I assumed Empath was headlining because Empath was the touring band who release music from Fat Possum.

Fat Possum’s started as a Blues label releasing music from Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside who the Black Keys covered while releasing music from Fat Possum. Fat Possum released an album by Columbus, Ohio’s Camu Tao after Camu passed from cancer. El-P’s friend releases solo music from Fat Possum.

Because Black Keys are popular, Fat Possum continues releasing rock music which includes Wavves, Spiritualized and Empath.

While I thought about Shaggy2Dope, the band from the stage layered pretty melodies with keyboard sounds, and drum fills.

I told my friend KRS-One was playing the Insane Clown Posse’s Festival. I told him in 2016 ICP endorsed Donald Trump because “they thought Trump seemed like he would shoot someone in the head.”

I thought perhaps this won Trump Michigan in 2016.

I told my friend I develop these drawings would diffuse the divide between working class white people, and minorities. I pondered if KRS One said something life changing to Juggalos or took the indie rap route and insulted mainstream rap.

While I don’t think KRS-One boasts a party affiliation, I felt like some basic humanity could affect social evolution.

In 2017, the Juggalos held a march on Washington the same day as a Donald Trump event. The Juggalo event attendance outnumbered Trump’s rally. I told my friend I ran into a Juggalo lady who attended the event. I didn’t know the lady was a Juggalo at first so it was a funny conversation transition.  She said Juggalo’s didn’t like Trump anymore and were distancing themselves. She showed pictures of the Juggalo march on Washington. She said Donald Trump was a “bitch.”

The band from the stage found a slight ambient texture which was calming like a wave machine.

I told my friend the Juggalo lady gave me her number. She was cute but I thought about the idea of having sex to ICP and realized I hadn’t quite evolved. I wondered why ICP’s fans decided Donald Trump was a “bitch” after a previous endorsement.

The band from the stage switched up the ambience sound into a song which alternated drum snares with singing, and layers of sounds into a joyous triumph.

I asked my friend if KRS-One used power of refinement and had five Juggalo wives, would he like it. I wondered if my conversation with the ICP lady utilized refinement, and she called Trump a “bitch” because I criticized Trump in our conversation.

He looked confused.

I realized I wouldn’t like it if KRS dated Juggalos. I tried to figure where this wouldn’t be depressing.

I told him the Juggalo women would start a blog about their troubled lives which improved after marrying KRS-One. The blog would blossom into a discussion of class issues, working class women’s feminism, and various other doors of thots derived from having sex with KRS-One.

The band from the stage built a frenzy sound with their melodies, and drums.

After the band was finished with the stage, one of the band members sat down in a Bourbon Street booth.

I walked up to the skinny blonde girl, and said: “Are you in Empath?”

Catherine Elicson from Empath responded, “Yes.”

I asked Catherine Elicson from Empath if she knew what time Empath was performing. She said, “we just played.”

I told her, that’s what ‘I thought but I didn’t want seem like I thought all blonde women looked the same. It seemed obtuse.

She was polite.

I asked her If she knew Shaggy2Dope was playing next store.

She said “yes.”

I ran into my friend who was walking towards Shaggy2Dope's show. I told him I would walk next to him in an attempt to sneak in and if they stopped me, he should keep walking.

During my done-waiting years, I could walk into any bar I wanted because everyone knew me and wanted blogged. My life with Free Press is different because our paper’s political nature. People are afraid I will make a political story out of anything.

The Shaggy2Dope doorman stopped me because my messenger bag wasn’t permitted because gun violence.

Mass shootings kill innocent people, and impede my chances of sneaking into Shaggy2Dope. I hope Biden’s recent executive order will enable my possibilities of watching Afroman if Afroman plays Columbus near a Fat Possum show.

I realized I wasn’t watching Shaggy2Dope. I didn’t care.

I walked up to Catherine. I realized I talked about Shaggy2Dope during Empath’s entire set, and forgot a photograph.

I told Catherine she should find me later.

I looked around the room and wondered if I would recognize Shaggy2Dope without a costume.

I ran into Catherine after she found the rest of Empath.

I went home and found out she knew Maryn Jones from All Dogs who moved from Columbus and resides in Philadelphia. She works with Maryn’s group Yowler. Had I know this then, Catherine would’ve experienced a conversation questioning if she thought the name Tam-a Re or Harlem World were better for building where punks live. I doubt even Maryn Jones would’ve understood my conversation even though she lived at Tam-a Re.

Instead, I told Catherine from Empath that I and Nathan Williams from Wavves were chums

Yesterday, I looked at Catherine’s Instagram and realized we both knew people who weren’t Nathan Williams. 

I didn’t find out why Shaggy2Dope was in town.

ICEAGE/ EARTH @ Skully’s

Iceage played Skully’s Sunday. I took the number 2 from Dodridge, and High.

I first saw Iceage with Columbus’ Vile Gash 10 years ago. The European group played at Ron and Cara’s defunct Carabar.

Remember the bar with whose BSA Daymon Dodson burner which everyone loved.

Iceage slayed that evening which sometimes is difficult for a band who are performing with a high energy group like Vile Gash.

I walked into Skully’s and found out Iceage’s opening act was Earth.

This Skully’s show was at 7pm because reggae night was later.

Earth is one of my favorite groups who worship Black Sabbath anthems.

Earth released music from Sub Pop, and Southern Lord.

I couldn’t believe at 7pm Iceage and Earth were playing Skully’s.

Earth consists of Guitarist Dylan Carlson, Drummer Adrienne Davis. Another string instrument player was playing with them. I didn’t interrupt the show to find out his name.

Dylan Carlson’s long hair and intelligent hessian demeanor looked out of place at 7pm at Skully’s, but seemed chill.

Earth played for about 40 minutes showing where Black Sabbath’s align with GYBE’s instrumental majesty with a psychedelic aura.

Europe’s Iceage played next. Iceage’s radar most recent memory stemmed from this funny time where I wrote for a famous graffiti website after done waiting.

I figured that a post-punk band thought it was amusing their music existed in between a Joey Bad-A$$ video and Ender and Rilla’s pieces in Spain.

Iceage’s “Seek Shelter” video features graffiti. That blog only sells clothes now so I didn’t blog Iceage’s video.

Iceage started off with “Dear Saint Cecilia”  from 2021’s Seek Shelter which introduces with a drum until angular guitars were crooned over by frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt whose formal dress appears like he should sing with a post-punk band who critic’s adore.

Iceage released a compilation this week called “Shake The Feeling: Outtakes + Rarities 2015-2021.” They didn’t delve into this release live.

The bulk of Iceage’s set was from “Seek Shelter,” 2018’s “Beyondless,” 2014 ’s “Plowing the Field’s of Love” and 2013’s “Your Nothing.”

I wanted to compare Iceage’s “Lord’s Favorite” with Noreaga’s “God’s Favorite” but watching Iceage perform “Lord’s Favorite” I determined there wasn’t a joke.

I hadn’t listened to Iceage in a few years until I decided to peruse “Shake the Feeling” because I wanted to watch Iceage.

I revisited the entire Iceage catalog from Apple Music and wouldn’t decide if I thought they were post-punk like Bauhaus, Joy Division and the Fall or cowboy punk like Lucero.

I found a dilemma.  I realized if you remove the live show experience and all culture from music everything sounds weird if it isn’t rap.

While watching Iceage perform I determined Ice Age was a post-punk band and returned to my 2011 opinion which didn’t even think about Lucero.

I missed my bus because I debated should watch Iceage watch the reggae show, and then email Vivian Goldman and find out if she liked reggae.

I walked to Junior’s Bar + Grill and ordered Veggie Fajitas.

I caught a Lyft Cab.

I discussed Egypt’s influence on everything with the Egyptian man who picked me up.

It doesn’t seem like Egyptians assume all Americans are nuwaibians.  I know that because we didn’t talk about MF Doom.