NightBuzzers Kevin Smith and Jorge Ribas spend lunch breaks watching YouTube videos, awaiting the cinematic marvel that is Snakes on a Plane, and that’s about it.

Oh, and this one time they talked about the March 21 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show at Solar Culture. (Conversation courtesy of the Bush administration’s wiretap program.)

12:35 p.m.

Kevin W. Smith: Last time I saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in Phoenix last fall (read Oct. 18, 2005 review here), it was in a cramped venue [Modified Arts] literally the size of a small house’s living room. It was a very intimate setting, and the bands sounded great. Last night, something was off. Either it just wasn’t their venue, the band wasn’t as excited, or the sound was off.

Jorge Ribas: We got there early enough to see The Brunettes, who I could’ve sworn were Canadian but ended up being from New Zealand. They were pretty good, for a bunch of Kiwis. But we had a prime spot in the middle, which I lost when I went outside for a smoke. Then I was stuck in the back for Clap Your Hands…

I enjoyed the show. I’ve never seen them, and I can’t even admit I’m that familiar with them, but I dug it. They jammed more than I thought they would. I was sorta expecting like 3-4 minute little indie pop nuggets, but they’d go off for awhile.

KW: It was a pretty good performance, I think it could have been better, but I’m really not sure how except for the sound. Something just wasn’t happening. Maybe it was the crowd’s unwillingness to act like they knew the songs or it was the band’s indifference to the crowd. Not sure.

I don’t know what it was about the performance, but I just felt at times the sound was poor and the band weren’t connecting to the audience.

One highlight was the awesome new song about the ocean that got one of the biggest ovations of the night.

JR: I recognized most of their songs from their album, but if were to ask me specifics and whether I heard any new songs, I couldn’t tell you.

KW: The new songs were great, they played like three or four of them including one called “Satan Said Dance” and another called “Cigarettes.”

“Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth” was also strong, but even then the sound on the guitar hook was off.

JR: A couple songs of theirs stood out for me, “Details of the War,” “Over and Over Again”... he sounds like David Byrne in that song. But I can’t pay attention enough to know if someone’s vocals were slightly off or if there was a broken string on someone’s guitar. I think my ears are shot.

KW: If you were close enough and knew the songs better, maybe you could tell. Who knows, maybe it was where I was standing that it sounded off.

JR: But who wants to get that nitpicky? Now you just sound like a whiny hipster.

KW: At least it was the CHYSY twins’ birthdays – that was kind of cool.

JR: That was cool. Happy Birthday, Clap Your Hands twins.

KW: Lead singer Alec Ounsworth looked like he literally rolled out of bed and walked on stage. Dude had a ‘fro that went vertically instead of horizontally.

JR: Yeah that I noticed, Napoleon Dynamite style. Or Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds.

It would have been sweet to hear them rock the nerds’ song from the end of the movie when the win over Adams College. OK, I’m off on a tangent here, sorry.

KW: Not that you have to shower to play in Tucson, but c’mon man. Wear a damn hat if it’s that bad. But if he keeps writing those songs and lyrics, it doesn’t matter.

He’s like the dude from the Strokes who writes all the music and lyrics or like Eric Clapton, guy can do whatever he wants. If someone in the band doesn’t like it – replace ‘em.

Not saying it’s like that, but seriously, I wonder if in bands where there is one person who creates all the music, if that person basically gets like a free pass.

JR: What I get from this band, and you don’t always get that feeling, is that they all know what they want their sound to be. From my perspective this band sounded like everyone was on the same page musically.

KW: Well yeah, that’s because they were all trained to behave that way by Captain Ounsworth.

JR: But here’s an example of one person in a band making all the music, and everyone else basically just letting him or her do whatever: Smashing Pumpkins… and that ended well.

KW: Well, it never really does end well. But who knows, this is only Clap’s first album. And the hype these guys had is comparable to the Arctic Monkeys now, or whoever will be popular in six months.

JR: So next time they roll through Tucson, they’re playing where? The Rialto? TCC? McKale Center?

KW: Depends how their next album does.

JR: On the Snake Bridge with throngs of fans on Broadway, U2 style? Put that useless bridge to work!

1:00 p.m.

KW: That’s the thing with these instant-celebrity bands through the Internet, there’s no way of telling how it’s going to be for them career-wise in the long term, since it seems like there’s an awesome new hype every week now.

JR: Yeah, very true. One minute you got 30,000 MySpace friends, the next minute not even Tom is asking you to be his friend anymore. And that guy will be friend’s with anyone.

KW: I heard that guy has herpes, so don’t be his friend.

JR: FOX is gonna sue us now.

Back on topic: I could tell immediately, though, that you didn’t think this show was that great. You came back from their concert in Phoenix raving like a lunatic. Seriously, you wouldn’t shut up about it.

KW: Yeah, like I said, I don’t know what it was, but I wasn’t feeling it last night.

JR: That’s slightly ironic, since everyone down here trashes Phoenix non-stop, that you had a better experience up there than down here.

KW: It was fun and definitely good to have them here, but the venue in Phoenix was just too cozy – it was awesome, like a house party. And I think bashing Phoenix for no reason is dumb, because they do have some cool stuff, but eh, last night it just wasn’t there for me.

JR: That’s very diplomatic of you to say that about Phoenix, I’m sure they will appreciate it. They actually do seem to have a pretty vibrant music scene, as [Daysleeper] JB has written about – I think it’s more the highway and strip mall wasteland that’s the issue Tucsonans take with it. But that’s another blog.

2:00 p.m.

KW: Okay back, how we doing?

JR: Not bad, I think. but we’ll let the readers judge. All 24 of them.

So let’s talk about you being a groupie, buying the Brunettes’ CD, then waiting in line to get it signed by them….

KW: It was like being offered a free investment, if the Brunettes go big, I got a signed CD to sell on eBay.

JR: Then I’ll feel like a dope.

KW: And there was no line to wait in, the very nice New Zealand lady did all the work for me.

JR: Well, they got the goods. Unless some other band comes along, which they do. Every second.

KW: That is true.

JR: Actually, I was thinking about it the other day. Is it just me or does it seem like there are a million new bands all the time. I swear to God that when I was a teenager, maybe a new band came out like once every six months. Or year.

KW: It’s the Internet, man. You can be huge in a week, a day even.

JR: It’s insane. And as a music writer/reporter/blogger, it’s pretty much impossible to stay on top of everything. Unless you ingest 25 blogs a day (which you do, you freak).

Back to the show, because our 13 readers are probably getting annoyed. Here’s another thought I had watching the Brunettes (and to a lesser extent, Clap Your Hands)... what’s up with bands incorporating like 10 people playing all sorts of weird instruments: horns, casio keyboards, xylophones, accordions, rocks, bells, whistles…

There needs to be a name for this, and we should come up with it before Spin does. The term “indie rock” is overdone.

KW: I’d call it versatile. Multitalented, but if you want a phrase… “Multi-instrumented bands” – they’re like octopuses with guitars and tamborines.

JR: I did enjoy the Brunettes’ clapping. Clapping’s underrated.

KW: We need to wrap this baby up.

JR: You want a final thought, Jerry Springer style?

KW: For me, the show had it’s highs and lows, but the band showed it may have a bright future with those new songs. Now all it needs to do is stop promoting touring for two seconds, take some time off, and come back with an awesome follow up – much like Arcade Fire… promoting and touring.

JR: That was well said. For someone who’s drunk at work.

2:30 p.m.

JR: Here’s mine: The show was $10. You basically can’t lose. You’d probably pay at least twice that in any other city and the next time they roll through here, it’ll cost you $24 at the Rialto. I think their performance – for someone who’s a relative newbie to Clap Your Hands – was pretty good. The crowd definitely didn’t seem as into it as when I saw the Arcade Fire there, but maybe it was Tuesday night doldrums, who knows. But I am very curious as to what they come out with next. And I’m sure I’ll see ‘em again some point this year.

Wow, that was long, sorry.

KW: Naw, es cool.

JR: So that’s it? Are we done with this experiment in office futility?

KW: Guess so.