Andro Queen holds court at Silhouette Lounge on Monday, 6 November 2023.

Bad At Drawing, Jiddo, and bikethrasher sandwich the four-stack bill.

Bill the Bartender’s rubbing shoulders with celebrities.

The man slinging drinks on Monday nights at the Silhouette Lounge has another gig bartending at Roadrunner. You know, that big shiny venue just down the road off Beacon St.

The venue has a capacity of around 3,500. Compare that to the backroom at the Sil, which can hold maybe 30 or 40?

With bigger capacity, comes bigger acts, bigger names, bigger events.

In September Roadrunner played host to the 400th anniversary celebration of the Zildjian cymbal company. Celebrities across the entertainment industry turned out to pay homage to the brand.

Does that sound like a stiff, canned corporate affair? Were the celebrities paid to attend? Sure and probably. Ostensibly the event was an “induction ceremony” into the Zildjian Hall of Fame, honoring eight new inductees, including Ringo Starr and Sheila E.

If you have a lot of money to throw around, you too can invent your own Hall of Fame and host celebrities patting each other on the back. Who is in the Hump Day News Hall of Fame? Probably Bill the Bartender.

Anyway, who showed up to the Roadrunner event? Bill said he had celebrity encounters with Fred Armisen (ex-SNL, Portlandia), Dave Grohl (Nirvana), and the drummer from Blondie. Is that Clem Burke?

Whatever they’re paying people to show up must be decent because the only no-show among the inductees was Ringo Starr.

He’s got that “fuck you, I’m a Beatle” money.

bikethrasher

If you haven’t heard bikethrasher’s latest single “Vice Versa,” check it out. The four-piece works in a few different registers: neu grunge, rawk, heavy pop. They can also serve up pretty killer covers if the mood strikes.

Jiddo

The Hope Fest alums Jiddo uncorked the room, which went into full pit party mode to the post-hardcore set. Shout out to the pliable bassist. Pliability: the secret to Tom Brady’s success.

Andro Queen

The six- or seven-piece ensemble Andro Queen plays artcore, gonzo, gangrock. Shades of the larger DIY, build-a-sound productions from The Michael Character with a harder edge and more pit shenanigans. Shout out to the mannequin head. Extra points for running laps around the room.

Bad At Drawing

Another Hope Fest alum. The punk four-piece Bad At Drawing kept the energy level topped up. Heavy vibrations. Possibly a song about watersports?

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