Swearing at Motorists
Acts Playing South by Southwest
Reviewed by Christopher Hess, Fri., March 16, 2001
Swearing at Motorists
Number Seven Uptown (Secretly Canadian)
There is sadness in the comfort of home. Familiar things that are no longer part of your life, the hesitance at re-connecting, the depressing nature of fruitless nostalgia: Swearing at Motorists' Number Seven Uptown hits all these stops, moving on before the doors even open. The Dayton, Ohio, duo of singer-guitarist Dave Doughman and drummer Don Thrasher pound out 15 songs (in just under 30 minutes) that fly through the emotional turmoil of relationships and people relegated to too-recent history, never pausing long enough to dawdle or dwell. No words or notes wasted on spreading sentiment over verse-chorus structures, Doughman's lyrics and riffs both stick like an X-Acto knife and disappear before the culprit can be seen, let alone engaged in small talk. "Flying Pizza" is heartbreaking in its brevity, "Numbers Have Too Many Meanings to Me" likewise, the loneliness of the mind alone. Guitars fluctuate between screech and plunk, drums consistently bash and skitter, bending time until bleak past meets uncertain future. A unique sound and a convincing voice make the songs --and their scenes -- feel all too familiar. (Friday, March 16, Copper Tank Brew Pub, midnight)
