Midway Cafe has been to the Hilltop on Saturday, 1 April 2023.

David Rubin Band and The Chops closed out the April Fool’s Day bill.

“Through a glass darkly” is an old phrase from the Bible (1 Corinthians 13:12) that gets a lot of play in literary history because it sounds awesome. Whatever it means, its meaning has more lives than Midway Cafe has glasses.

And that’s a lot of glasses! The Jamaica Plain watering hole is your classic tallboy dive, but it boasts a full bar and the bartenders are not afraid to use it. Different drinks need different glasses. It’s not always clear why.

Start with your traditional tumbler. At Midway Cafe it’s the short, thick glass that can be used for liquor, straight or on the rocks. Not sure if the place has legit shot glasses – short tumblers can serve up shots just fine.

Next up, a high ball. It’s good for mixed drinks that include different filler ingredients beyond the liquor and ice. Say, soda, grenadine, various liqueurs…whatever.

Can’t forget the ubiquitous pint glass. Good for pulling pints on draft or serving sodas to the dry crowd. It’s such a universally effective glass that minds are hard at work trying to figure out ways to fuck it up. Go around town and you’ll see all types of pint glass disruptions. Sam Adams released its own proprietary pint glass not so long ago – and it’s a goddamn top-heavy, spillable shitshow of a beer container. No thanks!

Libbeys have been all over the place lately. The glass mimics the shape of a classic beer can because…why? No one knows. They look kind of cool in the way that Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Dog” looks cool. It’s a shape/object that’s not supposed to be made out of the material that it’s made out of. But it is…More about form than function, the walls of Libbeys are thin, don’t hold their chill, and are vulnerable to breakage.

All of the above are a bigger pain in the ass than just holding a sturdy can in your hand. But are we all being slowly poisoned by trace metals drinking from cans? Only time will tell.

Hilltop

Albany, New York’s Hilltop arrived four-strong: one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, and one congo player.

That’s a lot of square footage in the band devoted to the rhythm section, and you hear it in Hilltop’s sound. A propulsive, funky driving force that can set itself on cruise control for long stretches, or turn itself over to virtuosic breakdowns by individual members.

The guitarist produced some standout solos, taking off on the runway built by the rhythm section.

Shout out to Hilltop members wearing their own merch. Shout out to solid wah wah work. Shout out to the bassist shouting out: “We came here to rock the hoooouse!”

Mission accomplished.

David Rubin Band

You ever see this group before?

They said it was their first time playing as an ensemble. You’ve likely seen members gigging around town with other outfits, like David Rubin with the Diamond Blues, which has a monthly residency at Midway Cafe.

The new band goes six deep, adding a trumpet and saxophone to a more traditional rock quartet of guitar, bass, drums, and keys. On offer was a mix of originals and covers, including Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind”  and Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour.”

The Chops

When we last caught The Chops at the JP Music Festival, the band was a four-piece. Since last summer the Boston-based psych jammers have added another piece to the puzzle: a new vocalist.

There were Jefferson Airplane vibes coming off the stage. A little throwback psych flavor with a bluesy, rock n roll voice up front. With only their axes to worry about, the boys in back hammered out waves of electric thunder as far as the eye could see.

At least as far as an eye can see through a glass darkly.

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