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That was Alzo Boszormenyi‘s headgear on each of the occasions I’ve seen him play with his band, The Acid Achievers. Let me repeat that: in addition to the red cloak in the pic, when the band’s set started, Boszormenyi takes to the stage topped by a cardboard box, spray-painted bright green and with part of one side cut away to show his face.
If that, combined with the other costumes you see here, doesn’t tell you this, the Falls Church-based Acid Achievers are far removed from any kind of convention. ” I am in my own little world,” says Alzo on the band’s MySpace page. “I am not autistic, but I act like it.”
That goes double for their music, which I can only describe thusly: Imagine the sounds of Captain Beefheart, Sun Ra, Faust, PiL, John Zorn, and Jimi Hendrix (at his most freaked out) all in a clusterfuck. It’s bizarre, sure, but it’s a compelling aural spectacle. Most of the time it’s entrancing, and it’s always a helluva lot of fun.
Great as they sound, though, it’s the stage performance that takes the cake; usually, their set ends with a huge pile-on fight with members occasionally pushing through the bodies to shout some lyrics into the mic. If you’ve ever seen anything like it, you’ll have to tell me where.
If you haven’t seen anything like it, tonight’s your chance. Alzo Boszormenyi’s Acid Achievers play at The Velvet Lounge (915 U Street NW) with Facemat, Church Clothes, and TITS. The show starts at 9:30; admission is $7, a steal for four bands. (And certainly for a freak show like this one!)