nock, knock.

Who's there?

Obscurity.

I had to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me when I saw that the Trashcan Sinatras listed on the 9:30 Club's schedule. How was that even possible? Their last release came out in 1996 and wasn't even available in the US. Maybe they were spurred on to reunite since Coldplay have become global pop stars using the same formula that the Trashcans employed in the early 90s. It is fair to say that their lush, sparkling, jangle guitar-based gems helped set the stage for the Britpop explosion a few years later. And in fairness, if Starsailor and Belle & Sebastian could gain strong, loyal followings and some critical acclaim, then the Trashcan Sinatras should have been BIG.

Curiosity was the driving force behind my decision to go to this show (alone)-I had to see what kind of fans they would draw after disappearing so long ago. Apparently, they made an impression way back when, because there were more people in attendance than I thought would show up. A little more than 200 enthusiastic 20 and 30-somethings came out, many of whom already knew the words to songs from their new CD, Weightlifting, that just came out a week ago. How is THAT possible?

The set opened with undistinguished "Carried Away" from their new release, and by song number three I wondered if I had made a tremendous mistake in going to the show. I was relieved a bit when they played "Bloodrush" from 1993's I've Seen Everything. Trouble was, there wasn't much blood rushing through that song, it lacked the same punch that I would have expected.

After that, it was immediately back to the new, slower and tremendously boring material. It really wasn't awful, just not compelling whatsoever. Both the people I talked to and, by my observations, the crowd in general weren't moved by the selections. "What Women Do to Men" from the new disc was just embarrassing.

There is certainly nothing wrong with a band featuring their new material during a show, but this was beyond overboard. And flogging new tracks should never be done at the expense of the songs that the fans came to see in the first place. The best reactions were for "Hayfever," "I've Seen Everything" (best song in the set) and "Only Tongue Can Tell," off of their 1990 debut, Cake. As it turns out, the band threw the crowd a bone with that one because it wasn't listed on their set list. It's hard to comprehend why this band of all bands would go to great lengths to avoid their finest work.

In football, they say that defense wins championships, but offense sells tickets. Well, in the concert game, playing new material is expected to sell some product, but it's the popular songs that bring people in the door. And popular really is a relative term with this band, how many people have ever even heard of the Trashcan Sinatras in the first place?

When I was debating even staying for the entire show, I kept telling myself that it would be worth it as soon as I heard the glorious intro to "Obscurity Knocks," easily their best and most recognizable song. I waited through two encores and it never came. Neither did "Maybe I Should Drive" or "Circling the Circumference." Coincidentally, those are my three favorite songs they have.

Hard to believe, it's not like ANY of those songs got beaten to death on the airwaves. So I am glad that I went to the show, I satisfied my own curiosity about the band's remaining fans-but more so because I was able to tell a friend in another city that it would be a monumental waste of time to see the Trashcan Sinatras.