by Andrew Roger
Rediscovering what you never lost: There are these moments where you heard about something that was popular or funny or really cool for its time, but for some reason you never experienced it. Then, without trying, you stumble across it and the heavens open and your mind blows its top. And, by then, no one cares to play along with your excitement and constant jabbering. I had one of those moments recently with Ideal Cleaners.
You see, Ideal Cleaners were mopping up stages when I was still in high school. I never saw them as I mostly frequented dirty basement shows and Rebels in the C.B. (which might tell you alot about my upbringing). But they were a band on the rise, a formidable force raising ruckus in Lincoln. And then I moved to college, expecting to find their releases on TheBandBrokeup.com (which is curated by IC frontman Dan Jenkins). But upon returning to the good life, I found their name not only on the bathroom walls of our favorite venues but still in the warm glow of the marquee.
I finally caught them at the Waiting Room a while back and was blown away with the sheer force of their sound. It's crushing with such a tight punch. An aggressive backbite that requires a good scratching. I could go on and on but I don't need to tell you why Ideal Cleaners are awesome. You already know. I'm just having a moment. Excuse me. Here's a video of "Advice for Other People's Children" while you wait.
Camera: Django Greenblatt-Seay, Mike Machian, Andrew Roger, Andrew Norman
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