6. Edie Sedgwick – “Anthony Perkins” 7. Medications – “This Is the Part We Laugh About”
I’ve had an interest in Medications since 2/3 of them played in Faraquet. I remember seeing their guitarist/singer Devin Ocampo in 1999 at Portsmouth’s Elvis Room with my friend & roommate Tim (himself a fantastic musician). We were the only ones in the audience besides a family member who lived in the area. Ocampo played guitar and sang in Faraquet and the played drums for headliner Smart Went Crazy. We were stunned by the guy’s prowess at both instruments and went home fans of both bands. In Faraquet, when he really ripped on the guitar he would stomp out a little one legged dance similar to the one Dave Matthews does in music videos. I saw them another time at Boston University in a student ballroom filled with kids. That night I stood behind a gaggle of girls, swooning over Ocampo and how “cute” he was. I was transfixed on his guitar playing trying to figure out how he did half of it. He’s one of those guys people refer to as a “musician’s musician.”
Years later, I found out his new band was playing at East Atlanta’s 529 Club in March. I wanted an opportunity to see Ocampo conquer that guitar again. Edie Sedgwick, another Dischord musician was going to open and I poked around the internet to find out what his music was like, beyond his fabled transgendered performances. That’s when I discovered his videos for “Sigourney Weaver” and “Martin Sheen.” I found dance music stapled onto a pop culture fixation that was really a diversion for lyrics about serious issues. This promised to be a fun night out.
It was. My girlfriend and I got there early, bought tea from the local independent coffee shop (a rarity in Atlanta) and sat in the back during the first band while Justin Moyer donned his sequined dress, a wig and some make-up to become Edie Sedgwick. He had a new album and crooned through even better songs like “Angelina Jolie” and “Anthony Perkins” (included on this mix). Medications performed as his back-up band and then took the stage themselves, switching around instruments almost every song. They performed a much simpler rock than Faraquet, but there is a serene honesty to their songs that still drew me in. They even played Faraquet’s “Study In Complacency.” We both had a great time, bought some albums and Sedgwick has become a fixture for long drives in the car. Both bands make me smile.
You can find Edie Sedgwick’s “Anthony Perkins here. You can find Medications “This Is the Part We Laugh About” here.
