SHOW OF THE MONTH
Static Of The Gods / A Wish For Fire
(CD Release) / Thick As Thieves /
The Vital Might
The Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, MA
August 23, 2007
While all four bands sported different takes on alternative rock, the opener, Vital Might, seemed to have a dozen different takes on the genre. Their sound often straddled multiple genres within every song, which was refreshing and disorienting all at once. Metal, pop punk, emo, prog-rock — it was all there in a surprisingly cohesive concoction. The band was rock solid, and the Upstairs’ acoustics suited their sound well: chugging distorted chords, swirling bass melodies and colossal-sounding drums engulfed the room. Drummer Evan Kraker stole the show, though, with his Danny Carey-influenced approach to progressive metal drumming, including remarkable one-handed choked crashes and inventive ride patterns. Vocalist Andy Milk delivered an impassioned performance, and was sweating profusely from the beginning to the end of the show — always a good sign that a singer’s giving 110%.
Thick As Thieves took the stage next, looking fairly confident as they set up their instruments. Tyler Littwin’s vocal melodies were the band’s greatest asset, weaving infectious hooks throughout tightly performed, often folk-based noise rock. While Thick As Thieves performed dynamically and had decent stage presence, the band’s songwriting was most impressive. Often adventurous in structure, the core arrangements seemed wholly organic, as though they were initially written on an acoustic guitar and arranged for live rock later on. One highlight of the set was “Here’s To Waking Up,” featuring a catchy chorus melody reminiscent of 1990s Brit pop.
A Wish For Fire, who was celebrating the release of its new record Skeleton Key, eagerly took the stage next, plowing through a tight set chockfull of aggressive numbers. Their sound was similar to Thick As Thieves’ harder moments, trading in the subtle introspection of the Thieves’ melodies for overtly hyper-masculine hooks a la ‘90s alt rockers Seven Mary Three and Fuel. The band was impressively well rehearsed and really got into the performance.
Static Of The Gods finished off the night with their enjoyably hooky brand of rock, featuring Jen Johnson’s soaring vocals and smart, understated guitar arpeggio-laden pop arrangements. The band’s sound is a lot less ominous than their name suggests. Strongly rooted in traditional song structures and sugarcoated hooks, the band’s rock guise could be stripped away and their songs could be rearranged as really convincing, radio-friendly pop songs. Consequently, the band was the perfect end to the night’s line-up. The crowd filed out, smiling and humming the chorus melody to the band’s “Cycles Follow Signs.”
-Review by Adam Arrigo; photo by Alyssa DiPasquale
Mahi Mahi / Tiny Whales /
Yeah U Can Dance / Buildmore
Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, MA
August 15, 2007
Yeah U Can Dance, with his upbeat digital spins, and Buildmore with it’s drippy, yellow brush strokes, joined forces to open a night at the Middle East Upstairs of “Art ‘n’ Dance” for fans that were already swaying heads by 9:30.
As the paint turned from seemingly random lines into more concrete images, the music turned from straight up dance to more aggressive electro-rock with Mahi Mahi. They set up their mixed electric and acoustic drum kit and loud synths on ground level with the audience and, at the command of their driving bass lines and entrancingly distorted vocals, the room came to life. People were even ... dancing. By the last few songs, Mahi Mahi’s set, complete with a spinning blue light and shiny disco ball kick drum, had attracted a floor full of hipsters who were moving to the beat. Mahi Mahi drummer SIR VZO stole the show with his rock solid dance grooves and impressive multitasking. Mounted on his set was a Roland sampler, which he used to trigger and in some cases play note-by-note samples and intricate melodic figures. The sound was so full it was hard to believe there were only two members onstage. Scratch that — ”on the floor.”
Buildmore, a duo of artists who displayed their previous works alongside other paintings from the Raw Art Gallery, worked with large brushes and various colors on two hanging canvasses.
When Tiny Whales started playing, the room was treated to a different strain of dance-rock — one way less calculated and precise. Their aggressive energy demanded dancing and as the vocalist shouted raucous, unpredictable vocal melodies and the drummer pounded along with rapturous energy, the audience came closer to the stage and started moving.
One song fluidly led into another with very few breaks in the music. Their stage presence and obvious love for playing was contagious—people began swaying together, closing their eyes and getting lost in a world of catchy synth lines, driving rhythms, and the drunken elation that comes from staying out late to see a show on a Wednesday night.
A playful introduction led into their poppiest tune, “Same Shoes,” which gave everyone a break from the heavier sounds while still carrying the intense passion from other Tiny Whales’ songs. They nailed it. Everyone cheered with the last bit of energy they had left.
The canvasses were covered with freshly painted pictures, the people were covered with sweat, and the floor was covered with empty cans of PBR.
-Review and photo by Becky Firesheets
The Turpentine Brothers / The Golden Boys / The Strange Boys / Black Clouds
P.A.’s Lounge
Somerville, MA
August 6, 2007
Opener Black Clouds were the outlier in both the masculine band name and musical style departments, but their noisy, blues-based sprawl was a welcome opener to a really solid night of rock music. The two Austin-based bands of the night, The Golden Boys and The Strange Boys, were late showing up (which was forgivable, given their point of origin), so Black Clouds set up on the floor of P.A.’s. While the room was buzzing with pre-show chatter, the drummer laid into his kit with a nonchalant quarter note rhythm. His drumming grew in intensity until he was pounding. People gave up conversations in the room and squared off with the band, which suddenly erupted into an ear-bleedingly loud jam of steady, pattern-oriented drumming, two chugging guitars and atonal vocal projections. The band played fairly loosely, but pulled off the sound surprisingly well — the end result sounding vaguely like The White Stripes dosed with LSD and freed from pesky song structures and melodies. Some of the more psychedelic jams were reminiscent of Major Stars. Not coincidentally, Wayne Rogers of the Stars was in attendance.
The Strange Boys, up next, were the big surprise of the night. A band from Austin that looked on the younger side took the stage and launched into raunchy Stones-esque, Black Lips-inspired indie rock, taking the room by storm. Lead singer Ryan Sambol’s vocal range was impressive and his affect was a pretty unique Dylan spin-off. The Golden Boys followed suit with a similar strain of alt-country. On the whole, their set was less inspired and dynamic than their touring mates, but roused a positive reaction from the crowd.
Boston-based Turpentine Brothers finished off the night with their emphatic breed of country-injected punk rock. The vocals were stabbing and energetic, perfectly complimenting the excitable rhythm section. For a three piece, these guys sounded huge and displayed the perfect amount of sweaty enthusiasm to keep the night rocking until the very end.
-Adam Arrigo
Dominic And The Lucid
The White Heart Lounge
Portland, ME
August 11, 2007
Dominic and the Lucid have been racking up honors over the past two years. In November 2006, their debut album Waging the Wage broke the top 10 list for all music sold at Bull Moose locations. In early 2007, the track “Poorboy” earned regular-rotation rights at local rock station WCLZ. And this spring, frontman Dominic Lavoie swooped up the honor of best male vocalist in The Portland Phoenix‘s Best Music Poll.
It wasn’t surprising, then, that their cover-free show at the White Heart Lounge was packed with adoring fans. And “adoring” really is the right word — the predominantly female audience seemed to be having a great time at the show and even local bluesman Moses Atwood made an appearance, shouting song requests with the best of them.
Gone are the days when Dominic Lavoie crooned his heart out solo singer/songwriter style. Of course, Lavoie’s voice still packs a punch, but able backing by bassist Nate Cyr and drummer Chuck Gagne make Dominic And The Lucid a cohesive band — not just a showcase for Lavoie’s celebrated vocal chords.
Critics have sought out strange, sometimes made-up words in an effort to describe the band’s unique sound, “multi-colored” being one of the more accessible terms. It’s easy to see why. The songs are complex, certainly, but in a peculiar way — they are almost reminiscent of classical music in their easy segues from movement to movement. The music, of course, is rock, with lapses into slow grooves and hints of British pop, but Lavoie’s ability to switch from mandolin to electric guitar in a single song swiftly, but not abruptly, is uncanny.
“Lovely Lonely” from Waging the Wage was a standout performance for the evening: energetic, hard driving, and punctuated by some mind-boggling guitar maneuverings. At times, Lavoie’s fingers blurred across the frets. Surprisingly, although Lavoie is a tremendous songwriter, it was a cover song that blew the crowd away. U2 covers are a dime a dozen, but Dominic And The Lucid’s version of “Trip Through Your Wires” was something special — a meticulously overlaying of part upon part that finally toppled, washing the crowd in its energy.
-Review by Rosaleen Torrey; photo by Reuben Torrey
Dana Gross
Slainte
Portland, ME
August 4, 2007
With an ear for artfulness and a heart for tradition, Dana Gross has been steadily making a name for himself on the Portland roots scene.
Gross is a master of simple, soulful blues and folk music. He told Performer that he’s been trading CDs with local blues star Samuel James and, at Slainte on a Saturday night, it showed. It wasn’t just in his covers of Mississippi John Hurt and Furry Lewis but in his originals as well. A reverence of form, an attention to detail, an unyielding precision. As he strummed and picked, sometimes with plectrum and sometimes with naked fingers, he stood with his feet firmly rooted on the floor. His movements were almost robotic as his voice dove and leapt across ballads about trains and gypsies and sumac berries. It was the stance of a man who is hardworking and determined, not to be a star but to reach as many people as possible. And if his songs sounded simple, gently gliding off his guitar, it was a simplicity hard earned; the Italians call it sprezzatura, the seemingly effortless grace achieved by years of hidden work and sweat.
The second half of Gross’s set did flag a bit. As comfortable as he was with carefully chosen covers and well-tried traditional forms, his darker, busier pieces requiring complex fingerwork, though executed flawlessly, seemed to come less naturally. Perhaps, though, it was just that the sweltering heat had sapped a bit of his energy (Gross did crack a few jokes about sweat rags).
In any case, it is clear that Gross is a force to be reckoned with. He brings a different element to the local folk/blues scene, which has been ruled for a while by dark messengers like Moses Atwood. It’s not that his music is less “heavy” — in the 1960s-slang connotation — but that it is charged with something besides grief. Perhaps the last song of his set sums it up nicely: “Lord, won’t you sing me a song / Not very fast and not very long / A song about sunshine.” Gross seems intent upon moving boulders to find the hope — and strength — that underpins music borne out of sadness. And it looks like he just might succeed.
-Rosaleen Torrey
School for Robots / Safdar
Harper’s Ferry
Allston, MA
July 31, 2007
When the lead singer of School for Robots announced in a deep, monster-like voice, “This is a song about dinosaurs!” it actually seemed appropriate, stuck right in a mix of distorted sax and aggressive drum rhythms backing him up. During an instrumental break, he muttered (as if the mic weren’t right there amplifying his voice), “This is kind of a stupid song.” But somehow, his adorably awkward banter and ridiculous lyrics just added to the charm School for Robots brought to Harper’s Ferry on an otherwise dull and humid night.
Weird, playful lyricism, silly commentary, and focused musicianship weren’t isolated to just one song about dinosaurs. While the bassist bounced back and forth during a different tune, the saxophonist bobbed his head like a dancing duck and the singer crooned in a high-pitched voice, “His name is Lunchbox but there’s no thermos in him!” Complete with an a capella opening and some back and forth joking reminiscent of the Barenaked Ladies’ humor, the lunchbox song proved to be their catchiest.
To balance out the goof, a few numbers contained more upbeat instrumental passages that seemed heavily influenced by the ‘70s classic rock. Intricate guitar solos pervaded the set, with pentatonic nods to days of old. Once the shy front man warmed up to the crowd, his swaying hips, random leaps, and occasional headbanging only added to the band’s mildly volatile stage presence.
Their drummer, on the other hand, employed a sparser style, both visually and rhythmically. His fills were inventive and his understated delivery only complimented the band’s busier instrumentation. The saxophonist’s higher notes sounded too much like unwanted feedback early on, but by mid-set, the overall sound was much more balanced. And at times, the saxophone was so distorted that it was difficult to tell which melodies were being played on which instruments.
The highlight of the night was a song featuring their singer’s gravely, whiskey-burned voice. Previous songs stayed within his upper range, and even though his Jake Shears-esque falsettos were good fun, the change was pleasantly surprising and well received by the crowd, who shouted and whistled when the song came to an end.
School for Robots wrapped up their set with a solid cover and a few more catchy pop tunes.
Safdar, a rock quartet from Jamaica Plain, opened the night with jam band antics and solid bass lines, but School for Robots had already stolen the show.
-Becky Firesheets
Harris / Noble Rot / Spudgun /
The Young Leaves
The Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, MA
August 8, 2007
The Harris/Spudgun split CD release show was a multi-course feast of different genres brought to The Middle East Upstairs. Each band displayed a diverse array of talent that ranged from power pop to punk and hard rock to grassroots indie rock.
The Young Leaves, based out of Stoneham, Mass. were the power pop hors d’oeuvre that opened the show. This trio pulled their weight with the crowd — the show could have ended right there, and every one could have gone home happy. The Leaves kept their music lively and engaging with graciously melodic bridges that grew into tsunami-like crescendos. Lead singer and guitarist Christopher Chaisson showed substantial talent as a songwriter and performer, with his strong, deep voice resonating through every tune. As a guitarist, his work was impressively dynamic, effortlessly cranking out explosive guitar solos.
Spudgun was the next band on this interesting bill. An export from France, it took a while to digest what these guys were cooking. At times it was difficult to understand the lead singer’s English. The band did hold some ground with their heavy rhythm guitar chords and tight drumming. While Spudgun seemed vaguely unconfident with the first half of the set, they eventually hit their stride.
Next up was Noble Rot. Their name may sound a bit dour, but if you take the basic roots of punk and some of the attitude of ‘80s glam metal and put them in a hellish oven, you’d have carte a la Noble Rot. The crowd went bonkers when they launched into their raucous set. Vocalist Rich Hoss’s voice was comparable to the raw, angry tone of Axl Rose himself.
Harris topped off the night and seemed excited about their new split release with Spudgun. The Watertown royalty (recently signed to Cordless Recordings), brought a classic sound with modern indie influences into the mix. The songs flowed nicely together and were highlighted by tight songwriting and undeniably infectious hooks. Harris’ delivery and melodies often echoed those of The Police, which is a lot to say for any band.
-Review and photo by Byron Smith
The Bleedin Bleedins / The Campaign For Real-Time / The Indefinite Article / Rolla
Great Scott
Allston, MA
August 18 2007
Boston-based The Bleedin Bleedins headlined a musically eclectic night at Great Scott. The supporting bands, Rolla and locals The Indefinite Article and The Campaign For Real-Time could not have been more different from one another. The overall effect? A bizarre blend of musical talent that made for a genuinely entertaining night.
Rolla, hailing from Connecticut, opened with an upbeat set that highlighted sweet poppy guitars and keys under dreamy vocals. Tight harmonies added an intriguing element to Rolla’s set and the crowd loved it. The Indefinite Article followed, playing a louder, heavier set that sounded like a blend of hip hop over a funky, jazz-infused rhythm section. The thick vocals didn’t carry well through the busy venue and the lyrics were definitely indiscernible. However, the lads got the crowd jumping and brought contagious energy to the stage, putting on a decent performance. While blatantly out of place among the more rock-based bands in this bill, the crowd didn’t seem to notice, and the band managed to bring out a decent crowd. Finally, local favorites, the ever-quirky Campaign for Real-Time seized the stage. Their crazy set swirled together disco beats, jagged guitars and wavering vocals.
The Bleedin Bleedins took control of the stage next and launched into an exciting set of Britpop-influenced new wave songs, thrilling fans. The rockers seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, laughing with one another and running through their songs with both enthusiasm and focus. Highlights of the set included tracks from the band’s 2006 release, Life Without Computers, particularly the dramatic “Darkest Day.” Singer Mike Coen’s voice soared over the driving guitar riffs and rapid drums. Evoking Morrissey and Robert Smith, Coen’s vocals were the centerpiece of the band’s sound. Another highlight of the set was “Weather,” a more subdued piece that combined slightly more ominous, ringing guitar riffs and tuneful, harmonious vocals. Urgent drums and pronounced bass guitar formed a thunderous rhythm section that spread throughout the venue. The crowd seemed visibly disappointed when the band’s time ran out.
-Review by Miriam Lamey; photos by Kris Ireland |
