I was planning on having a beer or two with Spy after their fantastic show and then heading across town to drink more beer with recurring Propeller Skies character Stacia. 13 Stories put a huge dent in that plan.

After taking a long swig of beer, I turned around and discovered that there were not one, but two blonde hotties on stage. My first thought was, “I’d better get my camera out, because this is going to make the blog.” My second thought was, “I better pound this newly purchased beer, since I need both hands to operate the damn camera.”

After finishing the aforementioned beer and snapping off a few photos, it dawned on me that this band was pretty fucking good.

About the middle of the second or third (by this point in the night, I was not paying all that much attention) song, I thought I heard the singer belt out, “ladies, listen to your pussy.” A few minutes later, she sang it again. Other highlights of the show included Cheri D introducing a song by mentioning it was an instruction manual about stripping for your man. Which was fantastic, but a bit redundant. You had me at pussy.

Enough with the gratuitous googlebaiting references to stripping and pussy. 13 stories plays an infectious brand of upbeat danceable pop. They remind me somewhat of No Doubt, except with a huge dirty south influence. Normally, I would not have stuck around for this type of music, since I tend to like heavier bands with an angry edge to them. However, as previously mentioned, 13 Stories is good.

A highlight of their sound is Cheri D and Cat’s sunny vocal harmonies. They sound every bit as good as the vocal harmonies of the darker and more math rock oriented Black Kites. I recommend checking out 13 stories the next time they play.

As a side note, I picked up a copy of their four song promotional CD on my way out. It has been in my CD player all day.

notes:

PHOTO: Cheri D of 13 Stories at Vinyl in Midtown, Atlanta, GA. Second blonde hottie not pictured. July 9, 2004. Courtesy of d.2263 Photographics.