7/31: Mekons @ The Bell House

You know what?  Twitter’s not bad.

I follow the Bell House (@UHBHNY) on Twitter because, as I’ve mentioned before, I adore that place.  It’s rarely packed, they have a killer happy hour and, when that’s done, you can find Dale’s Pale Ale in the back with the music.  I cannot say enough good things about this place.  And, if I may ice this red velvet establishment, it is mere blocks from my house.

So last Friday, The Bell House announces via Twitter that the first person to answer a particular question correctly would win free tickets to that night’s show:  The Mekons.  I was going to The Bell House for happy hour anyway, so my show that night was a toss-up between this and the show at Union Hall (the previous show that week didn’t really count).  I was leaning towards Bell House, partially because I’d be there anyway, partially because I have no interest in Union Hall on a Friday at 10pm.

So when the question came (What band sprouted from the same University of Leeds class as the Mekons?) I did a quick Google search and responded with the correct answer (Gang of Four).  Lo and behold, I was the first and won tickets to the Mekons show.  And that’s the story of how Twitter became profitable for Chris Hadley.

The place was packed and the Mekons were quite good.  I knew nothing about their music, but found myself interested in getting acquainted with it.  They played old punk songs semi-acoustically, which I would assume helped to make these old numbers rather different and a little more fun for these folks.  They had a ton of energy and the crowd was full of serious Mekons fans, making me wonder what I had been missing.  I’m not sure I’d even heard of this band before last week.  So I’ll look into more music from the Mekons and see what their deal is, historically.

And you should get all up on Twitter and follow me (@ashowaweek) and The Bell House (@UHBHNY) and all kinds of other people.  You’ll know shit sooner, I promise.

Next up:  Got a single seat in the first motherfucking row tomorrow night for the Big Surprise Tour at the Beacon.  I’ll tell Gillian Welch you said hello.

[UPDATE:  Download the Mekons at Mercury Lounge 8/1 from nyctaper here.]