MC Frontalot Meetup

May 7, 2010 8:22 AM

MeFi mod favorite MC Frontalot is playing Dante's in Portland this Monday night. Monday night gigs are usually sparsely attended so I was thinking we could fill the crowd with PDX mefites. Here's how: I'll buy a ticket for any MeFi member standing in front of Dante's at 7:45pm. Let's do this.
posted by mathowie to MetaFilter Gatherings at 8:22 AM (67 comments total)

Plane ticket? I'm in!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:31 AM on May 7, 2010 [4 favorites]

I wish I lived in Portland, because this idea is amazing and also because MC Frontalot was one of the best shows I've ever attended. mefites who live in portland should absolutely do this.
posted by shmegegge at 8:37 AM on May 7, 2010

Matt, I'm in the wrong Portland, but I just want to say thanks for being such a generous guy.
posted by anastasiav at 8:55 AM on May 7, 2010

note no mention of how to identify parties loitering outside club as 'mefites' per se
posted by infini at 9:12 AM on May 7, 2010

that's just affectionate snark, oh #1, nothing against your noble and generous gesture *brown noses quite instinctively*
posted by infini at 9:13 AM on May 7, 2010

note no mention of how to identify parties loitering outside club as 'mefites' per se

duh, just ask them what taters are.
posted by desjardins at 9:15 AM on May 7, 2010

Holy crap I would totally be there if I didn't live in the DFW area of Texas. And instead lived in the Portland area of Oregon.

Just wanted to throw out another vote for "Matt's freakin' awesome."
posted by owtytrof at 9:17 AM on May 7, 2010

Matt, you rock. As do all those who find themselves Frontin'. STUPID GEOGRAPHY IS STUPID.
posted by Shepherd at 9:31 AM on May 7, 2010

Dangit! Been here visiting Portland all week and am leaving tomorrow. Crud. But that offer is just one more reason why this place rocks...not the swag...the people. Thanks Matt.
posted by nickjadlowe at 9:31 AM on May 7, 2010

But in that same spirit, I have most of the day to myself today, so if there are any PDX Mefites who would like some quick free architecture/building advice, hit me up with a memail.
posted by nickjadlowe at 9:34 AM on May 7, 2010

Oh fuck yes. Will Karaoke from Hell (karaoke with a live backing band) be following the show as it usually does on Monday at Dante's?
posted by Nothing... and like it at 9:58 AM on May 7, 2010

This Frontalot guy seems kind of interesting, I plan to be there.
posted by idiopath at 10:10 AM on May 7, 2010

Which MC was that? I can't recollect. Heard him on the Internet. It was MC Front-a-something, but I didn't hit save. Which MC was that? I couldn't say.
posted by terrapin at 10:43 AM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

See you there, Matt.
posted by chrchr at 10:45 AM on May 7, 2010

Oh man, I would do the hell out of this if it were not Monday. That's pretty awesome of you, Matt.
posted by maqsarian at 11:02 AM on May 7, 2010

If the tickets to the show are more than $5, there is an arbitrage there.

Are sock-puppets included in the offer?
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:09 AM on May 7, 2010

MetaFilter: I'm in the wrong Portland
posted by ODiV at 11:12 AM on May 7, 2010

Dammit. I would absolutely come, but I couldn't make it until about 8:30.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2010

Oh, and yeah, Matt you totally rule. That's really cool.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:30 AM on May 7, 2010

how to identify parties loitering outside club as 'mefites'

Here is a handshake collection to choose from.
posted by netbros at 11:36 AM on May 7, 2010

anastasiav: "Matt, I'm in the wrong Portland, but I just want to say thanks for being such a generous guy."

Don't support this kind of city-ish shenanigans! Matt, I just wanted to say I hate your preferential treatment of Mefites who are already in the possession of the widest Pale Ale selection in the world. Fie!
posted by Plutor at 11:37 AM on May 7, 2010

the widest Pale Ale selection in the world

This is frequently a double edged sword, though. I've been in several bars here that have a half dozen taps ALL of which are occupied by pales and IPAs, which is deeply frustrating when you're in the mood for a stout or a porter (or when it's a hot summer day and you really want a lager, pilsner or kolsch)/ I mean, come on, bar managers of Portland-- give us some actual variety, please, not just thirty-two different IPAs that all frankly taste pretty similar to each other.
posted by Nothing... and like it at 11:46 AM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

*grumbles*

...stupid 2,037 mile gap between me and the show...

*continues grumbling*
posted by quin at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2010

The Frontalot show in Austin was great, Monday night notwithstanding. Highly recommended. (Even if you're completely not into rap - I'm not, and I still thought it was awesome.)
posted by restless_nomad at 12:09 PM on May 7, 2010

terrapin, I believe you're recalling MC Chicken-in-the-Hat.
posted by Shepherd at 12:32 PM on May 7, 2010

So does this count as 10.8?
posted by geckoinpdx at 12:55 PM on May 7, 2010

give us some actual variety, please, not just thirty-two different IPAs that all frankly taste pretty similar to each other.

Actually, we did an IPA tasting here in my house one night with bottled IPAs... had 12 different types, little sampler glasses. No two of them tasted alike, and frankly, no two of them even tasted similar to each other. Maybe your part of the country just has a lousy IPA selection, if you have 32 of them which taste similar.
posted by hippybear at 1:47 PM on May 7, 2010

We should hang out more, hippybear.
posted by ODiV at 1:51 PM on May 7, 2010

I've been trying to get hippybear to hang out with me for ages.
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:58 PM on May 7, 2010

I'll be there.
posted by spherical_perceptions at 4:04 PM on May 7, 2010

Maybe your part of the country just has a lousy IPA selection, if you have 32 of them which taste similar.

I think he was exaggerating to make a point, and what he was getting at is that there's "oh this ipa tastes a little hoppier than THIS ipa" difference in taste and then there's "this Chimay Grand Reserve is going to kick your IPAs ass in a street fight" difference in taste.
posted by shmegegge at 5:09 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

I think he was exaggerating to make a point

Indeed. In the wordsmithing trade, they call this hyperbole, and it's a perfectly cromulent literary device.

To spell it out a little more explicitly, my point was not that all IPAs taste exactly the same, but that a bar that offers a wide variety of IPAs on draft AND NOTHING ELSE is not actually offering as wide a variety of beer as a bar that has fewer IPAs, but also at least one beer on the stout / porter and of the spectrum, and at least one beer on the lager / pilsner / kolsch end of the spectrum. (A great Belgian would be the whipped cream on the waffle...)

Further, my point was that many bars in Portland seem to miss this, as I have often found myself in bars where I have a plethora of IPA options, plus maybe PBR or Oly tallboys, and that's all, which is immensely frustrating if I want to drink a good beer that is not, in fact, an IPA.

Also, I don't really like IPAs very much, but that's a whole other thing.
posted by Nothing... and like it at 5:50 PM on May 7, 2010

To me an IPA is similar to hippie food that is drowned in garlic and hot pepper - I enjoy it, and it is hard to do wrong, but it is intense and dominated by one or two notes for that very reason not really a good choice for showing off nuance and the skill of brewing (just as a pile of garlic and hot pepper with a couple of vegetables would be a bad choice for showing off your skills as a chef). A beer with a milder flavor is much harder to do well. And no matter how much you love IPA you will run into enough of it in Portland to get a little tired of it.
posted by idiopath at 5:58 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Matt, that is so cool. Talk about supporting your local musicians! Good on ya, man!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:27 PM on May 7, 2010

Dammit, I'm flying out right around then-- but if any MeFites are at PDX w00tstock tomorrow night at the Aladdin, do say hi! I'm a tallish, short-haired redhead who'll be wearing a Ted Leo T-shirt and gray hat. Bonus: Mr. F is with me.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 9:06 PM on May 7, 2010

I'll come to Frontalot if Matt agrees to come to Enchanted Forest
posted by churl at 10:04 PM on May 7, 2010 [3 favorites]

I'm bluffing. I'd be stoked to meet up at a Frontalot show, with or without Matt's super-generous offer
posted by churl at 10:33 PM on May 7, 2010

Vote once:

[ ] Tubgirl
[ ] Goatse Man
posted by Mikey-San at 10:58 PM on May 7, 2010

i wish i could go. i saw frontalot play in brooklyn when i lived in nyc and it was pretty kickass. now i am sad. someone please enjoy the show on my behalf.
posted by Mikey-San at 11:02 PM on May 7, 2010

Also, I just saw Frontalot live for the first time (Seattle w00tstock).

You want very much to take Matt up on this, fellow MeFites, trust me.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:52 PM on May 7, 2010

Count me in.
posted by waxpancake at 2:33 AM on May 8, 2010

*calls up friends in Portland*

"Yeah, that's right..S-L-A-R-T-Y, just look for the gaggle of nerds standing outside. If you act like a pompous jerk all night, no one will know the difference."

Seriously, that's a right cool thing, Matt.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:03 AM on May 8, 2010

i'm still not seeing #1 say anything about the secret MeFi signals...
posted by infini at 11:24 AM on May 8, 2010

Matt is generous! This is great.
posted by damehex at 2:47 PM on May 8, 2010

I'll be there, but I've already purchased my own tickets. That means Matt saves like $10 bucks!

I saw Frontalot last year and brought the heat.
posted by device55 at 3:46 PM on May 8, 2010

I hope he doesn't have an off night and only front a little.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:32 PM on May 8, 2010

infini, I'm thinking we have enough meetups in Portland that maybe we'll all recognize each other? It hasn't been much of a problem at the previous by metafilter-only anniversary parties. I think it will be obvious if a bunch of confused people that nobody knows are trying to sneak in.

I think we should all wear our bright blue metafilter shirts just to make sure. And because they give us *presence*.
posted by Secretariat at 7:24 PM on May 8, 2010

good point. I'm thinking of the not quite meetup in Singapore over winter that had me and one other MeFite waiting at one end of a food court and The Cydonian with three others at the other end - and i was wearing the "everyone needs a hug" t shirt :(
posted by infini at 3:50 AM on May 9, 2010

ive missd a few meets that id said i would go to, but i'll be at this. typing with a ps controller sucks, btw.
posted by efalk at 4:04 AM on May 9, 2010

Hey, it looks like I can go after all! I will wear a blue MetaFilter shirt, to help create the presence.
posted by maqsarian at 1:42 PM on May 9, 2010

I generally find Mefites easy to identify by virtue of their staggering attractiveness

But shirts works too I guess
posted by churl at 2:21 PM on May 9, 2010

Bah, how did I not hear about w00tstock‽
posted by hattifattener at 12:32 AM on May 10, 2010

Well, for the benefit of our PDX brethren, I hope this MC is fronting — a lot.
posted by slogger at 6:53 AM on May 10, 2010

Dang, this sounds like an awesome time. The Front puts on quite a show and is just a peach of a fellow to boot. Have fun all!
posted by ulotrichous at 10:42 AM on May 10, 2010

I had to bail before the end, but that was more awesome than I expected. Thanks again mathowie!
posted by geckoinpdx at 10:50 PM on May 10, 2010

yeah, thanks mathowie, that was great
posted by idiopath at 10:56 PM on May 10, 2010

Thanks mathowie! First show and meetup I’ve attended in the city; made a good start.
posted by stilist at 11:04 PM on May 10, 2010

Hey, that was fun! Thanks everyone for coming out. I'll be uploading pics soon.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:28 PM on May 10, 2010

And here are 6 pics big in the flickr slideshow interface.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:46 PM on May 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

Yeah, that was a great show. Thanks, Matt. Also, overheard at the show, after Frontalot mentions MetaFilter:

Drunk Guy #1: What's that? Some kind of injoke?

Drunk Guy #2: No, MetaFilter. It's like Fark and Digg and shit, but fucktons better.

MetaFilter: fucktons better.
posted by maqsarian at 12:16 AM on May 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

I have been to hundreds of shows in Portland and I've never seen a merch line that long. Something about Frontalot's lovability just makes people want to buy things from him I guess.

He deserves it though; I'm really glad that came together and it was great to see you all.

For those who expressed concern, I am happy to report there was a significant, non-trivial amount of fronting going on up in that piece.
posted by churl at 12:52 AM on May 11, 2010

I was at the show and failed to meet up with any mefites. Actually my friend's friend turned out to be an undercover mefite. So. There's that.

I think the Frontalot's performances keep getting better, and I think I prefer his stage-style of rap over what's on the recordings.

However, I was not a fan of that karaoke bullshit after the show. What a mood killer.
posted by device55 at 6:46 AM on May 11, 2010

Sorry I missed so much fronting. Sounds like fun. How many people did you end up shelling out for, Matt?
posted by Nothing... and like it at 12:03 PM on May 11, 2010

There were about a dozen of us, I think.
posted by geckoinpdx at 12:06 PM on May 11, 2010

Yeah, I paid for a dozen, there was 13 before 8, Andy got one member in for free.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:17 PM on May 11, 2010

Thanks mathowie. It was fun. This MC guy has talent.
posted by spherical_perceptions at 12:35 PM on May 11, 2010

Thanks! That was fun.
posted by Secretariat at 1:01 PM on May 11, 2010