MY NAME IS B, AND I AM A GROUPIE

By: B -- 5/17/05

First thing’s first: one should not expect to ever find any objective coverage of the Olympic Hopefuls at this website. I tried to exhibit an element of responsible criticism in my review of their fantastic debut album The Fuses Refuse to Burn, but it was an exercise in futility. I was, and remain, smitten by the Olympic Hopefuls.

OH’s top-notch performance Friday night at the Fine Line -- in front of a refreshingly intimate crowd of high-energy boozehounds -- only solidified my infatuation. The band played their familiar set: the majority of the Fuses album (including the extended version of “Trust Fund”!) supplemented by a few new tracks sprinkled in to keep us on our toes. One of those new songs, “Cavalier,” was performed for only the second time (according to lead singer Darren Jackson) and featured a sparse, if unpolished, facet to the band’s sound.

The highlight of the show was “Hold Me Now,” another of the new tracks, featuring John Hermanson vocals. The melody is catchy even by Olympic Hopefuls standards, which is saying a lot, and thus has been happily stuck in my head since the show.

If all goes as planned, it will remain in my head until I see OH next, June 5 at Grand Old Day in St. Paul. If you have any sense in the world, you’ll join me.

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