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The Features "33 1/3" Live @ 12th & Porter November 7th, 2003
This recording comes from the band's all-request show. In 2003, the song was only played at 3 of the 18 concerts I have catalogued in my spreadsheet. As a rarely-played fan favorite, it was obviously gonna get played at an all-request show.
OTHER VERSIONS
The Features "Buffalo Head" Live @ 12th & Porter November 7th, 2003
This is the newest bootleg of "Buffalo Head" that I have, but it was not the last time this call-to-arms was played. My database (yes, database) reveals that it was played well into 2004. If anyone has bootlegs of "Buffalo Head" that are newer than this one, please share!
A VERSION APPEARS ON: Buffalo Head, 7” single release (2002) The Way It’s Meant To Be, single release (2004)
OTHER VERSIONS
And speaking of calls-to-armses, here's one for this Tumblr! I've gained about 20 new followers since starting this back up again on a weekday-ly basis back in mid-May, which is nothing to sneeze at! And trust me, with these allergies I sneeze at everything. But here's the thing: the goal of this Tumblr is to make EVERYONE a Features fan. It's to expose EVERYONE to their music. Now realistically, duh, that ain't gonna happen. But we can all try, right? The guys have an album coming out this summer. Now is the time to spread the word! Please reblog any of these songs that you like. Go through the archives (using the handy dandy songlist located here) and share the jams that turned YOU on to the Features. If your friends aren't on Tumblr, send them the direct link to the site through gchat or AIM or whatever work-delaying-chat-device you use. These guys have worked hard for 10 years to make truly awesome music, the least we can do is make sure it gets heard!
Also, do you like this site? Do you like what I post? Do you want to hear OTHER Features songs, older or newer Features songs? Send me a request at damageisdonetumblr [at] gmail [dot] com.
And you know what I really want? Your stories! Yes, your Features stories! Was a Features concert your first date? Did you freak out the first time you heard a certain song? Is there a Features song that got you through college? Do you and your friends have a ridiculous parody version of "The Way It's Meant To Be" that's about cannibalism (the answer, for me, is "yes")? Please e-mail your stories about either a song or the Features in general and I will post them on this site as part of an entry for that Features song (or a Features song that is appropriate). Again, email is damageisdonetumblr [at] gmail [dot] com.
From 2001-2006, the Features were the soundtrack of my life with all of my Tennessee friends. But since moving to New York in 2006, the Features have been, well, my lonely little thing. Which is crazy because after two awesome albums, they now have fans all across the world. I want to make this whole experience communal, just like the good ol' days!
Let's do it!
The Features "Don't Lie To Me" Live @ 12th & Porter November 7th, 2003 The Features get dark and soulful with this one, a song that sounds like it could have been a deeper cut from any old Motown album. Roger's bassline brings the funk while Matt's guitar intensly stares down the listener. I love the buildup from the verses to the chorus, especially Rollum's inspired delayed disco beat. And that chorus, another example of this band's melodic genius. The chorus sounds like the clouds lifting or a moment of clarity, a beacon of beauty in a very grim song. While I don't think there were ever lyrics to this song, I kinda don't think you need more than "I was holding on to what you said." That opening line gets the job done and sets the tone expertly. "Don't Lie To Me" had already come and gone by the time my database picks up in October 2001. I have another bootleg (of poor quality) from March 2001 calling it a new song, so I know it was in rotation then. That's actually about all the information I have about "Don't Lie To Me." It was performed one last time at the all-request show in November 2003. This version features a new mid-section without the lyrics of the older version.
Today's request comes from April. The Features "Harold" Live @ 12th & Porter November 7th, 2003 The Features had very few ballads prior to the release of last year's Some Kind of Salvation, and "Harold" always stood out because of this. With it's plaintive guitar riff and alternatingly earnest and wispy vocals, "Harold" easily became the Features song I'd listen to when down in the dumps. The cathartic chorus and explosive machine gun-drumming during the instrumental break can easily cure whatever ails you, much like this song, which was most likely written about the dissolution of Spongebath Records, surely helped the band deal with their own uncertainties.
Like I said, this song might have been written as a reaction to Spongebath Records' demise. If this is true, then that makes "Harold" one of the first songs created with the new lineup in 2000 and possibly debuted in early 2001. I don't now how regularly it was played, but it would be pushed aside for newer songs as the ones from The Beginning EP and Mahaffey sessions rose to prominence later that year. It resurfaced in June of 2002 and would go on to pop up a couple more times at Features shows, but with such irregularity that I only have two versions of it in bootleg form. The version presented here is from the all-request show and is much tighter and contains a significantly shorter intro. This was the last time "Harold" was played. Since it most likely debuted around the same time that most of the Rawlings/Mahaffey sessions-era songs did, I'm pretty sure it was recorded alongside such classics as "See You Thru," "Stagecoach" and "Dark Room." It was rumored on the message board to have been on a planned single with "God Save Rock & Roll." That being said, the recorded version of "Harold" (if it exists) has never surfaced and it has not appeared on any of the band's official releases. That's a shame as it's one of their most compelling songs. Special thanks to Matt Peach and Bubblegum for help with this entry.
