Ex Hex Wows A Sold Out Turf Club

The Turf Club is one of my favorite places to shoot. If you get there early, you can get a front row spot and be close enough to the artists to touch them (but that is not encouraged). The stage is low enough that you can get some good sight lines and great shots. And they get some fantastic acts. Friday night was one of those nights of fantastic acts.

After dealing with two days of snowstorms and a potential of 20+ inches of snow (I actually got a total of 2 inches of snow where I live), I was running late and arrived at the Turf Club a little later than I usually do. The door had a SOLD OUT sign on the front and the venue was already packed. Several people were lining the stage and I was worried about getting shots without people or obstructions in the way. I managed to get fairly close and slowly maneuver my way into a better spot as the night progressed, which was lucky because the crowd moved close to the stage early and it was hard moving around.

Opening the evening was Moaning – a band out of Los Angeles. They talked about the snowstorm and how they weren’t sure that they would be in town on time for the show. The band has been described as abrasive and gloomy, a perfect match for the recent weather. Their music was mostly hard and fast, but at times soothing and soft with frequent use of reverb and effects pedals. At one point lead singer Sean Solomon left the stage and went into the crowd as far as his mic cord would allow. The audience applauded heavily after each song and seemed to really enjoy them. Their sound was unique and I enjoyed it also. I would definitely see them again.

After a brief intermission for setup, Ex Hex took the stage. If I had to describe Ex Hex in 2 words, it would be high energy. The trio of females (plus a male bassist kept to the back of the stage) looked like they were having a blast. They reiterated the possibility of not showing up due to the storm, but were glad they made it. Lead singer Mary Timony talked about a song they played in a show in Canada and everyone in the Canadian audience knew it and sang along. Although no one in attendance Friday knew the song, one person in the audience shouted “Play it”, which made the band smile. Then another person shouted “Play all the songs you know”, which was followed by wild applause. Even though they didn’t play that song, or all of the songs that they knew, that exchange really defined the night – no matter how long they played, it wouldn’t be enough. They put on a great show, their music was fantastic and the crowd lingered after the encore not wanting it to be over. Hopefully they will return to the area when the threat of a snowstorm isn’t as high and they can stay and play longer.