April 28, 2007 Ken Reid with The Seans Calderwood Pavilion Boston, MA

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Ken Reid’s Cusack Attack was sandwiched between two parts The Seans during the Comedy Double Feature at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. The one-man power-point presentation, ostensibly highlighting John Cusack’s career, but like any good comedy show, said more about the comedian himself than anything else.

Reid perfectly laid out a series of stories centered loosely around Cusack films hitting the right notes of self-deprecation and hysteria as he told stories like finding his neighbor’s dead body:

“My father screamed, ‘Why did you tell them he was eaten by dogs!”

“I didn’t want them to think we did it!”

He deftly segued into asides about being a soda snob and getting a co-worker fired by using his corporate card to register websites with pornographic names before switching gears back to the main topic – with the help of slides – his obsession with John Cusack.

The Seans opened and closed the show with sketch comedy revolving loosely around the duo falling out over, among other things, law school, a girl, and an paid assassin.

Sean Sullivan and Sean George played themselves, and all the other roles including a lecherous law school admissions counselor, a Los Angeles talent agent, and of course, the paid assassin. In between live sketches, short films filled in the gaps of the plot with some seriously funny touches including Sullivan waking up in bed to find George face to face with him – followed immediately by a hysterical training montage in homage to Rocky – and scenes filmed in Boston that were supposed to be Los Angeles (as noted by the word “Los Angeles” digitally affixed to signs.)

The Seans’ best moments were reacting off of each other, escalating every scene into a frenzied mess – a good mess though. Towards the end, the story got away from them, but it was all in a good night of comedy.

April 17, 2007-ML Frank-Carousel Lounge, Austin, TX

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Definition of Texas blues rock and not much more to say about that.

April 14, 2007-EZ Snaps-Carousel Lounge, Austin, TX

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Pixies style with a clipped voice. Lead vocal brimming over with boyish humor. Then melodic punk. Very very young – Rockboy says that besides the guitarist they look like former band geeks which may be why they were so excellent. Rockboy heard hints of Husker Du mid to early 80s. Drone rock suddenly. Still trying to find their sound. Then The Killers and then Weezer. Lot of variability. We both notice that the drummer (possibly a 12 year old girl though more likely my 30-year-OLD-feeling) is ‘kicking ass.’ Then unpretentious proggy rock song a la Trail of Dead. Officially, I suppose that they must narrow their sound down but they’d satisfy my ADD-music-listening forever if they kept doing all of what they do as well as they’re doing it.