Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Okay, I’ll go to the show

Hey, I know lots of you kids probably already got a big ol’ red heart circled around Feb. 14 on your calendar reserved for an evening of sweet lovemaking with a significant other. And that’s cool … given the opportunity, I’d probably do the same.

Hmm … so I was planning on celebrating Valentine’s Day heroically alone — not necessarily engaging in the trite “nobody loves me” single bitterness, although I had dusted off the entire unrequited love section in my album collection.

For a moment, it seemed like a validating excuse to wear my blackest black, play only the most tormented Cure songs and huff black Sharpie markers while I scribble bad poetry.

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But a flyer caught my eye. Could it be? Redemption? Yes … perhaps quite possibly.

The Donnas and OK Go playing at the Barrymore Theatre on Valentine’s Day. The neon flyer beamed of doubt-free rock’n’roll bliss. This could be better than my original plan.

Here’s what you should know about the upcoming show. The opening band, OK Go, is a rare breed of indie-rock boys with their roots leading to Chicago. Formed in 1999, OK Go consists of Damian Kulash on lead vocals and guitar, Tim Nordwind on bass, Dan Konopka on drums and Andy Duncan on guitars and keyboard.

The group’s atypical musical style blends innocently pleasurable lyrics with the screeching guitars of somewhat-stadium rock. Admirably, the band passes on the urge to make wallowing self-absorbed music. Instead, OK Go gives a reason to get off the couch and, at the very least, grab another beer.

On the band’s single “Get Over It,” the anthem cries out, “Aren’t you such a catch? What a prize! / Got a body like a battleaxe/ Love that perfect frown, honest eyes/ We ought to buy you a Cadillac/ Hey! Get over it!”

Headliners The Donnas have been around for the majority of the 1990s, rocking their way around the underground circuit while recording on Lookout Records.

The Donnas are four women — Brett Anderson (Donna A.) on lead vocals, Allison Robertson (Donna R.) on guitar, Maya Ford (Donna F.) on bass and Torry Castellano (Donna C.) on drums — who all grew up together in California. Their sound remains true to the elements of punk rock with their badass attitude and uncompromising nature.

With their latest album, Spend the Night, the ladies surpass the tough feat of creating a nonstop party-worthy sound filled with gut-powered guitars and quick beats. The album lasts for 39 minutes, and with every carefree second the Donnas make no mistakes in telling listeners they are in control.

A perfect example of their dominant nature is reflected in the song “Not the One,” with the lyrics, “I don’t wanna check it out anymore / I got your number and there’s the door / There’s somethin’ missin’ in your head / And I got no room for you in my bed.”

Taking all this into consideration, with OK Go and The Donnas under the same roof, what can be expected? Well, even the simplest of expectations are highly overrated, as we all know. But if I were to make a prediction on the outcome of the show, I would say there will be some ass-shaking, some disgruntled lovelorn fans, some good foul-mouthed fun, and yes — some beer spilling.

The possibilities of this tour seem like a risk-free gamble. Besides, I can’t think of a better way to give Valentine’s Day the middle finger … on the other side, there is always my date with Robert Smith.

The Donnas, with openers OK Go and Rooney, play a sold-out show at the Barrymore Theatre at 8 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 14.

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