So I finally got around to seeing a band or two at the Tavern. The place is only a few blocks from my house and has been having rock shows fairly regularly of late, so with the booking crunch downtown and U7D playing, a pleasure/business trip seemed like the thing to do on a Saturday night.

I missed the Yayas (sorry), but took a seat at the bar and saw most of Mei Long's set of strongly britpop influenced tunes with some psych overtones. The bassist was previously in the Mindy Set, but Mei Long's material is generally more focused & less atmospheric. Think Ziggy-era Bowie filtered through a British reinvasion band such as Oasis or The Blur with a smidgen of A Teardrop Explodes mixed in. The singer/guitarist gave me their EP after we chatted a bit. I listened to it the following day. The tunes are good, but it kinda sounds like a different band - there's a 4th member (I'm guessing a woman based upon the name/voice) that wasn't present at the show, and the overall sound has less teeth than live - cleaner, more jangly guitars and a fairly dry mix. Anyway, it's their first recorded output, and from what I saw, Mei Long will likely surpass it soon.

The Tavern itself is deceptively smaller than it appears. I'd judge that of the available interior space, the bar/room take up 2/3. There are pool tables and a good-sized bar. The bands set up in a corner area that couldn’t really be called a stage. The club supplies the PA (I think it was a little Peavey), but no cords/mics. There were some flashing lights for effect. Both Mei Long and Unit 7 Drain could have used a bit more volume on the vocals, but I'm guessing the PA was pretty close to maxed out, though I could be wrong. The bartender was good, the bar well-stocked (pomegranate-flavored tequila? You're shittin' me!), and there were about 30 people there. I recognized a lot of familiar faces from downtown, but apart from saying hello to Marisa, my usual uneasiness interacting with people I don't know well kept me glued to my seat. Well, not entirely - I must report the bathroom was pretty clean & a notch up from most Downtown pisseries.

Unit 7 Drain looks like a new band at first glance – since I last saw them live, Little Bobby & the drummer have shaven their heads, Ella & the guitarist have cut off a good amount of hair, as well, and Harry has evidently glued all the clippings to his Eraserhead-inspired 'do. They are a visual band, to be sure, so a change keeps things fresh. Definitely a darker look overall. The band sounded good as usual, albeit a little light on the vocals, but after 3 or 4 songs, the combination of the day’s exertions/libations proved too much for me, and I left before the end of their set with a free sticker (U7D had a limited number of free t-shirts to give away, along with free CDs and stickers).

Anyway, the Tavern seems like a decent venue, and apart from the dinky PA, gets an overall "thumbs up." Just keep that pomegranate tequila to yerselves.

You missed the end of Unit 7's set, which gave me goosebumps!

And the PA at the Tavern is OK as long as both speakers are on. One of the cords wiggled out of the left one. But it got fixed and competed well with the instruments. You do have to turn it all the way up.

My better half got one of Unit 7's free discs. And though I don't want to open up this can of worms again, I think "Lists" has some fine playing and excellent lyrics.

Mei Long did their best considering the sound woes. You could tell the songs were great and the band could be better if the sound was happening right.

Still, I'd say with some tinkering, The Tavern surely has a viable setup for a rock band. Playing on the floor and not the stage reminds me of a house party. And I like it.

Oh man! I'm assuming everyone saw the drunk old people getting all sexy with one another briefly during our set and all through Unit 7's? They got soooo raunchy. Made me blush.