THE STILLS - THE RAVE, MILWAUKEE

In Milwaukee, music lovers of all shapes and sizes congregate at The Rave to gawk at the performers on hand. I\'m usually easy enough to spot: find the tallest of the tall, and they\'ll be standing right in front of my short, balding, troll ass.
First came the mind-numbing monotony of The Cutouts. Droning on in their low-rent, Weezer-ish fashion, I couldn\'t wait for them to be done.
Once they finished, we were herded like cattle to the basement, where we were introduced to the joy that is Sea Ray. Possibly the most politically correct band on the planet, they were comprised of a really great Asian bass player (with a Beatles\' haircut), an amazingly talented black guy on drums (Stewart Copeland-style), potentially the hottest female cello player to grace this plain of existence (even more so than Rasputina), and to round out the ensemble, a couple of really talented honkies rockin\' the mic, guitars, and keys. If they had a Hispanic guy running the soundboard and moving their stuff, it would have completed the circle. Their sound was like what the progressive rock stylings of The Police might sound like today. They will be back soon. See them.
Third up was Metric-- entertaining, to say the least. A cross between Eighties techno-punk and the vocal approach of a punky Bjork or world-renowned Pope-hater, Sinead O\'Connor.
The finale was upon us with the introduction of the indie chart toppers, The Stills. These fine young go-getters put on a hell of a show. They delivered a barrage of catchy, guitar-driven modern rock that reminded me a bit of the late, great Jeff Buckley. I can\'t wait to see them again.