Olivia & The Terrible Two at the Black Cat

Last Friday I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Olivia & The Terrible Two play at the Black Cat. I was excited about this show for two reasons. First, I had heard a lot about Olivia Mancini because she has been a fixture of the local DC music scene for many years. Second, my friend Michael Khoo was playing bass guitar as part of The Terrible Two. It was a great show and it was fun watching Michael play on the same stage that some of my favorite bands have graced.

Pre-Show Notes:

• I had my pre-concert meal at Alberto’s Pizza in Adams Morgan. It was nice to mix it up a bit by having a jumbo slice of cheese pizza before a show.
• Once at the Black Cat, I met up with my friends Paul and Elyse for some drinks. I had not been to a concert with a group since visiting Seattle in November. It was great to have good drinks and conversation with friends before seeing a show.
• Unfortunately, the drinks and conversation forced us to miss the opening act. Sorry Meredith Bragg.

Olivia & The Terrible Two was sort of a misnomer. She was actually backed by Michael on bass, a lead guitarist, drummer, and a backup singer/percussionist. Regardless, it was clear that Olivia has a lot of talent and thoroughly enjoys writing and playing music. Her music is modern pop songs and it was clear she was having just as much fun as the audience, who really liked the show. Furthermore, it was just really cool seeing Michael on stage having a great time. He is planning on playing with Olivia for a few more shows while her normal bassist is on tour with another band. Who knows, maybe he will end up a permanent fixture of the The Terrible Two, The Housemates, or whatever band Olivia puts together. How cool would that be?!

I will end this post by mentioning the actual headliner of the bill, local band trying to make it big No Second Troy. Their sound reminds me of generic contemporary radio rock. Not my cup of tea. Also, the band members were trying to look too much like rock stars with the haircuts and “cool” clothing. It looked like they were trying too hard. Anyways, I felt bad for them because the audience was mainly there to see Olivia. By the time they played a few songs, much of the audience had left or was talking to Olivia and her band. A third of the audience remained by the end of the show. Maybe they should stick to playing in the suburbs where I imagine the majority of their fans live.