Boston’s Children of the Flaming Wheel capped a triple-decker bill at the Silhouette Lounge on the night of Monday, 5 December 2022. Adult Learners and Groan Man opened. Tyler and the Names was a late cancellation.

On the previous episode of As The Sil Turns we learned that Bill the Bartender had postponed his Florida vacation, that the Sil is a questionable destination for an e-date, and that the Boston Celtics are a much better team than the Charlotte Hornets.

In this week’s episode patrons were still walking through the door surprised to see Bill behind the bar. They shook off their amazement with the help of a shot-and-beer combination.

Hardly any beer gets ordered in the Allston dive without a hard liquor companion. Maybe Jack, maybe tequila, maybe a Fireball. Has Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey displaced Jägermeister as the yahoo drunkard herbal liqueur of choice? You don’t see those bulky Jägermeister tap machines behind the counters in dive bars as much these days…

The melodrama of the night concerned a “women in distress,” with undertones of violence and possible human trafficking. Two gallants had shared a drink with a curious couple, an older white American man “from Las Vegas” and a somewhat younger asian woman. The woman spoke no English. The Nevadan introduced her as his wife and claimed she was from Korea. The quartet enjoyed their drinks, but decreasingly enjoyed each other’s company, and everyone went outside for a smoke. What happened outside is a matter of dispute.

In the gallants’ retelling (they reported everything back to Bill the Bartender, like a messenger in a Greek tragedy narrating offstage action) the young asian woman had made physical overtures to one or both of them. She was trying to communicate, in her mute way, a wish to be rescued. The gallants probed deeper, pressing the Nevadan on the nature of the relationship. At a critical juncture the husband-wife narrative hit a snag. He now claimed his wife was from Vietnam.

The gallants jumped on the opportunity to expose the lie. Like a seasoned trial lawyer, one gallant reviewed the court record to highlight the defendant’s contradictory claims: that his “wife” was from BOTH Korea AND Vietnam. Confronted with the contradiction, the Nevadan could only offer a lame: “Whatever.” Whatever, indeed. The assembled jury at the edge of the bar was ready to render its verdict.

The couple left the bar, heading off in opposite directions, while the gallants consolidated their argument over a fresh round of shot-and-beer combos. They consulted their smartphones to establish a reliable timeline of events. Though one gallant was not “the type to call the cops,” he nevertheless called the cops to report the suspicious couple. The case is still pending.

Other quick hits:

A table of grad students was lorded over by the one male in the group, who clearly enjoyed being the sole rooster in the henhouse. He did most of the talking. He’s the type of guy that introduces himself to people at the far end of the table. Maybe because he’s so friendly. Maybe because part of him thinks you can’t really participate in the discussion until you’ve met the moderator. With a shock of green hair and a taste for cheap domestics, he clearly relished grad student life. But the lines on his face betrayed a growing weariness with academia.
A wild-eyed drunk wandered around the bar, offering his hand for a shake. Don’t take him up on it.

Groan Man

Groan Man was a late substitution for Tyler and the Names. The three-piece offered the classic combo of guitar, bass, and drums. The project is the brainchild of Sam Potrykus and the band’s sound is a variant of swamp rock.

Early in the set the frontman asked the crowd how the audio was sounding. Tweaking sound issues, traditionally, is an exclusive dialogue between the soundperson and the artist. But at smaller venues where half the crowd is more than likely also playing the show, a wider net is cast for feedback. It also fits in with Groan Man’s style, a real casual backporch on the bayou flavor. Extra points for the sweet bluesy solos.

Adult Learners

Adult Learners are a hangout band. Like a hangout film or hangout music, the four-piece band lays down a vibe that you want to spend time with.

That’s a good thing because this band needed more wind-up than a broken grandfather clock. Either soundcheck went too long, or the band took to their instruments too early after Groan Man’s set. Everyone, band included, looked around for a signal to start or not start, but no one was quite sure what that signal would look like or who would give it.

Like a row of offensive linemen grown tired of waiting for the quarterback to shout “Hike!”, you eventually need to get up, stretch, and get loose. Just as soundcheck concluded, the drummer decided it was time for a fresh beer. The bassist concurred. The crowd waited around a little longer for the rhythm section to beer itself in the adjoining room. By the time the music started, the Celtics had completed their comeback win, the Bruins had taken a tough loss, and the two gallants had finally gotten their story straight.

At long last, Adult Learners took the stage, performing a set of uptempo, indie-punk bubblegum poppers. Shades of The Ramones. Shout out to the guy in the crowd who donated his shoe as ballast for the bass drum.

Children of the Flaming Wheel

If you were at The Rockwell for Day Three of Nice, A Fest you might have caught Children of the Flaming Wheel, sandwiched between Addie and Gollylagging.

The four-piece “galapago garage punks” play medium tempo fuzz psych with kitschy pop overtones and surf appeal. Shades of Thick Shakes. A mini disco ball revolving at the feet of the band brought a little fabulousness to the otherwise yobbish interior of the Sil’s backroom.

It was a packed night for a Monday at the Silhouette Lounge. The bar advertises a 1AM closing time, which it no doubt keeps, but the patrons had built up such a head of steam that they could have kept drinking until 1PM the next day. Bill the Bartender would probably need to tap out, but the gallants could go all night long.

When the show ended, the two gallants took a breather on the curb to enjoy the brisk air and a quick cigarette. One said to the other: “I once quit drinking for 47 days just to quit smoking.” The other could only nod in silent agreement.