2019 Concert #2: The Misbehavin’ Maidens and The Doubleclicks


My second concert of 2019 was almost the exact opposite of the first one. The first one was a big outdoor concert venue (it was in Boston, but was configured like Pier VI in Baltimore) while this one was in the basement of a pizza place called Joe Squared. The first one featured pop artists that everyone has heard while this one featured niche bands that mostly nerds have heard. The first one featured full bands while the Misbehavin’ Maidens performed acapella and The Doubleclicks used an electric cello and other stringed instruments.

But there was one way in which it was similar – I wasn’t familiar with the opening band. Well, it’s not a perfect parallel because during the Kickstarter campaigns for both The Doubleclicks and The PDX Broadsides they mentioned the Kickstarter for The Misbehavin’ Maidens. Their brand of bawdy nerd music spoked to me and so I backed the campaign. From the way they mentioned the origins of the songs they sang, it appears each of the ladies in the Misbehavin’ Maidens is a song-writer for the band. Each song covered a different bit of nerd culture, but I think the biggest reaction was to a space shanty about Star Trek: The Next Generation. The chorus to The PDX Broadsides’ Smile also got a huge applause and laugh. After seeing them open for The Doubleclicks I can’t wait to see them again this October when The PDX Broadsides come for their east coast tour.

Then The Doubleclicks took the stage. I’ve been following them for a few years now, including backing their last two Kickstarter campaigns, but this was the first time I caught them live while they were in town. Laser said it was their first time in Baltimore (usually they tour closer to DC or Virginia) and they seemed genuinely surprised we knew the lyrics to their songs. That has to have been a bit of fun because the venue was so tiny (maybe 50-60 of us in there – if that many) they could see and hear us interacting with the music. There were a couple songs from their older albums, but as their latest album, The Book was Better, had just come out, the majority of the concert consisted of new songs.

It was a good concert, with a good pairing. I’d love to see either band live again. The only oddity was that the Misbehavin’ Maidens had been asked to do a clean set, but The Doubleclicks had a some swearing in theirs. I don’t care about swearing, I just think perhaps the Maidens could have done some of their bawdier songs if they’d been allowed.