I wish I knew how-to gamble - poker, roulette, blackjack, horse races, Keno. If I knew how to gamble, I would dress the part. I would always go to the casino with lots of glam jewelry, bright lipstick, and I would smoke heavily. I would wear dark glasses, avoid eye contact, and would be the silent and focused type. In reality, I find even the slot machines a little confusing and am always worried that I am putting in the wrong amount of money and am going to bet more than I’ve put in and go broke or some other crazy thing. I am sure I could learn to gamble, if I devoted the time. I just don’t spend enough time in casinos.

I did, however, spend Saturday night (St Patty’s day) at a KC casino. We were there to see TV on the Radio, but arrived early enough to eat the obligatory buffet meal. There was a funky looking guy at the buffet, too, and we made eye contact and I thought to myself, I bet he’s with the opening band. It was the way he carried himself. I was right - it was the lead singer. I think that if I am a rock star one day, I will probably not eat a big buffet right before we perform.

Subtle is the name of the band that opened. Subtle they are not. Kooky would be a better name. Very theatrical. Magic tricks. Comedic tricks, too. And all with a belly full of buffet.

Have you heard TV on the Radio? If not, then I highly recommend giving them a listen. Two songs to start with: Province and Wolf Like Me - both available on the band’s MySpace page. David Bowie cites them as one of his current favorite bands (and sings back-up on their current album). They are unusual. Original. Interesting.

On stage… the lead singer’s stage persona kind of reminds me of Michael Stipes’ stage persona (the hand gestures, the feeling that he’s almost in a trance). They also made me think of They Might Be Giants. I have heard that TMBG never plays a song the same way twice and I bet that is true of TVOTR, too.

They are going to be in Seattle - at the Moore Theater on March 25th. Go if you can! They are worth it. I think it’s one of those bands that is going to be around - you’ll be able to brag to your grandchildren that you saw them back in the day.