National Beekeepers Society "Funeral Procession" (9.4 MB) from National Beekeepers Society Club 770 Madison, WI February 2, 2008

Sometimes I feel like Club 770 is the best venue in town (except for the inevitable technical problems). Even though I often find myself not caring about the acts that play there, when I do, it's usually with other bands that I like. Exactly one year before this show it was Maritime, Bound Stems and Kid, You'll Move Mountains. This time it was Ra Ra Riot, with the Virgins and local up-and-comers National Beekeepers Society opening. I'd been meaning to see NBS for a while -- they actually sent me an invite to a show last summer, but it was on my birthday and my schedule was already spoken for -- so I was really glad to see them on this bill. They play a raucous kind of indie rock that reminds me a lot of Sleeping in the Aviary, if a little more restrained. This clip and the next one both come in at under two minutes, but they manage to sound like songs and not just bursts of sound.