Zack Seibert and the Red Wagon, 1.30.09

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Zach Seibert and the Red Wagon played a quick opening set for The Baldness Friday night at Hunter-Gatherer, treating the audience to six of their harmonica-infused, Neil Young-influenced songs.

Seibert himself warmed up the crowd with a few solo acoustic tunes. The intimate arrangements showcased his husky tenor, which reminded me of Bob Dylan’s son Jakob of erstwhile Wallflowers fame. (I listened to some of Seibert’s recorded music, however, and thought he sounded a good bit different. But he sounds like Dylan when he plays live.)

The short set featured Seibert’s electric roots music backed by minimalist drums and walking bass. Ubiquitous local player Jay Matheson peppered the arrangements with short, basic guitar leads. The band took timeout from original music to cover Warren Zevon’s “Splendid Isolation.”

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Seibert started off playing a beautiful gold top Gibson SG, but switched after two songs to the Piggly Wiggly Stratocaster that Bob from The Baldness would later play. The silver-flaked drum kit was also used by The Baldness in their follow-up set.

Overall, the audience seemed to enjoy ZS and the RW. Hunter-Gatherer boasts a particularly eclectic clientele (young and old, preppy and hippie), and the band had something to offer them all.

For More Info, visit: myspace.com/zachandtheredwagon

The Unawares, 1.24.09

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The Unawares celebrated the release of their new album “Pinkie Greene” Saturday night with a set at The Whig. Everybody got a free copy with admission, and the band broke it in right by performing it live for the packed bar room.

There was never a dull moment in the 13-song set, which seemed to fly by. The Unawares make it impossible to get bored with two-minute songs that are blasts of raucous, quirky alt-rock. My immediate comparison was to Pixies (singer John Watkins even looks a bit like Black Francis), but with shorter songs and more accessible lyrics.

"He even created distortion the old fashioned way, cranking the gain to just the point where the tone starts to break up.”

The sound is built around Watkins’ big guitar tone and the impeccable bass playing of James Wallace. Most bass players are there to keep the rhythm and stay in the background, but Wallace’s lines are constantly moving, building an intricate framework for Watkins to lay his quirky chord voicings over. Wallace alone is a good reason to see these guys live -- hearing him on a recording does not capture the feeling of sitting in front of his cabinet as low notes vibrate the beer bottle in your hand. One thing I gotta ask though -- who wears their own band’s t-shirt on stage? I’ll give Wallace a pass though since it was a CD release party. Maybe the shirts just came out as well.

The band looks great on stage. Before they start playing, they appear to be mild-mannered middle-aged dudes. When they pick up instruments, you can tell they are long-time players that really enjoy what they do. Watkins had a music stand with a light set up in front of him, with a stack of papers that were presumably the lyrics to the songs. However, he kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut the whole time he was singing -- so what’s the music stand for?

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From a guitar standpoint, The Unawares were a big departure from opening act Bambara. John Watkins eschewed all effects pedals and plugged his guitar straight into an old Fender amp. He even created distortion the old fashioned way, cranking the gain to just the point where the tone starts to break up. His playing presents an interesting dichotomy compared to his songwriting: he writes the simplest two-minute songs that he can and matches them with the most complex chord-oriented guitar parts that he can. Wallace does the same thing on bass, using ever-shifting lines that could be songs in themselves.

The band tried to walk off stage after album finale “Is Everybody Goin Crazy?”, but the crowd would have none of it. Chants of “Howie Long! Howie Long!” filled the air as the crowd begged for the quirky tune about a football announcer that is unfamiliar with the concept of subtlety.

So basically, The Unawares make music that is short and catchy enough to hook any listener, but is complexly crafted enough to win over even the most jaded indie rock fan. To put it as Howie Long would: “These guys are good. If they sell at least a million records I predict they will go platinum. They will be the best band in America if they make better music than all the other bands.”

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For more info, visit: myspace.com/theunawares

Bambara, 1.25.09

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Here’s Bambara in a nutshell: frenetic drums, fuzzy bass and screeching guitar form a wall of sound. Singer Reid B. paints punkish vocal graffiti on the wall. The wall is illuminated at various times by a naked light bulb placed behind the drum kit, which is switched on at key moments of each song. It shines through the clear drum kit and makes for a sweet visual effect to match each song’s punked-out psychedelia.

Let’s talk about those frenetic drums first, because they are the first thing you will notice about Bambara. Drummer Blaze absolutely beats the shit out of his kit, which is clear and looks like it’s made out of plastic or something. Somewhere, John Bonham is smiling when he sees how hard this kid hits the drums. Bass player William actually had to help Blaze keep control of his kit, as the bass drum was moving under the force of punishing kicks. The drums provide the energy to balance the band’s otherwise psychedelic edge.

"... he struggled to get rid of horrible amp noise, which sounded approximately like putting your ear to a conch shell and hearing kittens being fed into a jet engine.”

William’s bass sound is heavily influenced by his “Big Muff Pi", the famous fuzz pedal from the 1970s. He keeps it right next to the footswitch that controls the lights, and generally stomps on both at the most intense section of each song.

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As a guitarist, Reid is definitely from the Kurt Cobain school of tone. He favors harsh distortion and oddball, pawnshop effects pedals. Unfortunately, equipment difficulties finally forced him to abandon the pedals and plug straight into the amp, abandoning the effects which make up a big part of Bambara’s psychedelic punk sound. I felt bad for Reid as he struggled to get rid of horrible amp noise, which sounded approximately like putting your ear to a conch shell and hearing kittens being fed into a jet engine.

As a singer, and Reid would probably kill me for saying this, but I would compare him to Jared Leto -- not on “My So Called Life”, but on his musical project 30 Seconds to Mars.

Despite their equipment struggles, Bambara finished the night strong with a crowd-pleasing cover of “Psycho Killer” by the Talking Heads. William thumped appropriately on the iconic bass line as the crowd sang along with this in-your-face version. When it comes to intensity, Bambara was clearly “fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better” than the original.

For more info, visit: myspace.com/bambaraband

Cats and Cobras, NBT 1.15.09

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Cats and Cobras was setting up, and I didn’t know what to think. As guitars were tuned and amps were warmed, a Taylor Swift t-shirt was ritually draped across the wedge monitor at center stage. Perhaps a tribute to the teen queen of the country scene? Hardly. The shirt, and any reference to tween-pop, disappeared shortly after the music began. Seth (vocalist) bid it farewell with middle finger raised. This is Cats and Cobras.

"But just when you thought New Wave was back, he was back on the guitar, with a tone so harsh it sounded like it was coming through cheap AM radio speakers.”

This dude flips everyone off. He flipped his fans off. He shot the bird to Splattered Inc’s photographer. He even kept a middle finger raised as he held the microphone, keeping a cigarette pinched between his fingers. And yet for some reason it was endearing. A smile never crossed his face, but somehow Seth was amusing, even charismatic. By the way, is there some kind of love/hate relationship with this band and their "fans?" At one point I saw someone throw a drink or something on stage while the guys were playing. I don't think they even noticed though, which was pretty funny.

I would compare this band most closely to The Killers, without the glam makeup, doing a remake of Nirvana’s “In Utero.” Dancey, melodic songs interspersed with bouts of raucous, abrasive screaming. A good example was “That’s What She Said”, the set’s penultimate track. One guitar player grabbed a keyboard and dialed up a synth sound for a short introduction, then carried on a melody as the band kicked in a danceable backbeat. But just when you thought New Wave was back, he was back on the guitar, with a tone so harsh it sounded like it was coming through cheap AM radio speakers.

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The band had a somewhat muted stage presence throughout most of the set, but kicked the energy up a notch for the finisher, "Strip Pole." Guitarist Chase actually got a little too energetic earlier in the set. He jumped on top of a box during "X Ray" and thrashed wildly on his Telecaster, alas breaking a string after a few seconds. He wasn't too concerned when I asked him about it after the show though: "Aw that's nothing," he said. "My fingers used to bleed from playing so hard. At least I've built up calluses now." The drummer (sorry, didn't get everyone's name) remained pretty animated throughout the set, and exhibited what I always consider the mark of a good drummer -- he made it look effortless, bobbing up and down with the music and singing along on choruses.

What else do I need to add about this band? Guitarist Brad looks like Cameron from Ferris Bueller's day off. I think these guys should work up the dance-punk version of "Twist and Shout" and we could all skip school to go to their show.

Cameron from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'

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Setlist:
Let’s Go
Joey Boy
X Ray
Muse
Snow
Elephant
20 Something
That’s What She Said
Strip Pole

For More Info, visit: myspace.com/catsandcobras

Shallow Palace, NBT 1.15.09

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I've heard a lot of people complain that Columbia's music scene is only three genres: emo, hardcore, and indie rock. They wonder what happened to bands that just make good old-fashioned rock and roll. However, Shallow Palace makes at least one band that does fit this bill: guys playing songs that are as much about attitude and having fun as they are about pretentious lyrical odysseys or carefully-chosen costumes.

"It's hard not to get taken in with Spawn on the skins and the other guys tossing their retro-length hair along with the music.”

Shallow Palace enjoys another distinction among Columbia bands: these guys are one of the most democratic groups out there today. Greg Slattery is the group's frontman, if they have one, but he shared lead vocal duties with George Fish on at least one song. Microphones were placed across the stage so that all five guys could sing along with the group's rave-up anthems and participate in drunken banter with the crowd. The group subverts its individual talents to the vision of the song as a whole, which is often not the case with people as skilled as these guys are. Josh Bumgarner is a bonafide bad-ass on electric guitar, but he was content to trade licks with Fish (also a skilled lead player) on short solo sections.

Animal, 'The Muppet Show'

As well as this band plays as a whole, I gotta give you the dirt on the real force behind Shallow Palace: drummer Mike Spawn. Kid is a fucking animal! He looks like he's possessed by some kind of drum demon, and it's infectious. It's hard not to get taken in with Spawn on the skins and the other guys tossing their retro-length hair along with the music.

This show marked the band's first back in South Carolina after their recent mini-tour in New England. The band's gear was a little worse for the wear, as George struggled all night with hum and static from his amp. I know it was bugging him up there on stage, but honestly it almost fit with the music. They have three guitars, so often they are just taking a riff in layers and whipping your ass with it. The amp noise just added a little lo-fi dimension that fit with the garage rock sound.

Some of my favorites from this set: the opener, "Jesus Christ", is a straight ahead rock song that you will swear you've heard before. I was trying to figure out who they were covering, but David assured me that it was an original song. It's just one of those that's so catchy it seems like you've always known it. "Mad World" is a great song, but I was a bit confused by the treatment SP gave to it. I am most familiar with the R.E.M. version, which is melancholy and brooding, but these guys turned it into an uptempo, fan-favorite singalong. It must be the Shallow Palace spirit -- songs can't sit around and be sad when they meet these guys.

The band played their last song and went to switch off their amps, but the crowd was having none of it. They begged for an encore, which the band agreed to -- on one condition. Josh used the microphone to his advantage and bypassed the line at the bar, ordering shots for the band. After Josh downed his shot (and George's), the guys finished with "BBBSA", which featured a particularly strong vocal performance from Greg: lyrical, quiet, intense.

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Setlist:
Jesus Christ
Around the World
Morte De Mond
Understand
Mad World (Tears for Fears cover)
Turkey
Too Hot
AFUEGO
Charlie, No!
Y.T.1.2.B
BBBSA

For More Info, visit: myspace.com/shallowpalace

The Fossil Record -- NBT, 1-15-09

The Fossil Record

The Fossil Record kicked the evening off with a jammy, alt-country sound. Think southern rock without the rednecks. The band members danced a little as singer Chris Compton sang the words to “Crooked Creek”, veins standing out in his neck. It sounds intense, but it really didn’t clash with the jangle-twang of the guitars or with keyboardist Ashleigh Moore’s honky-tonk affectations. The first half of the set proceeded in similar fashion, with a little bottleneck slide flavoring from guitarist James Beresford. I loved the energy and enthusiasm of bassist Casey Hammett, who appeared to be having the time of his life – even though, as he told the audience, he’d been playing shows at the Tavern “for at least a dozen years.” Casey took over the lead vocals to sing “Alone”, a song he penned.

"I would almost say the band should be a trio based on those songs, but then came the swinging, Wild-West 'Wallpaper Flowers.'”

The driving feel and guitar effects of “Alone” marked a transition for the second half of the set, which took on a moodier, alternative rock flavor with “100 Atmospheres” and “Born This Way.” The latter ended with a foot-stomping, uptempo coda that reminded me of Weird Al’s “Alternative Polka.” It definitely got some toes tapping among the early evening Tavern crowd, which was surprisingly large.

These two songs provided an interesting shift in texture, but sadly keyboardist Moore seemed to disappear during these songs. Second guitarist Beresford was not as noticeable either. I would almost say the band should be a trio based on those songs, but then came the swinging, Wild-West “Wallpaper Flowers.” The audience clapped along in rhythm as the band brought the set to a close.

The Fossil Record is definitely in its element when it does alt-country. The alt-rock songs are nice, but they don’t play to all the band’s strengths. Compton’s passionate vocals and inventive melodies, along with Hammett’s energy, are definitely the band’s core. However, TFR is not reaching its full potential when Beresford and Moore are just standing by, listening to Compton croon. Either find roles for them in the moody stuff, or just go three-piece. (To be fair to TFR, I only saw them play six songs. Quite possibly, those six are not representative of their full artistic vision, which is so often the case with short setlists and crowded playbills.)

One more note: the band’s name confuses me a bit. “Fossil record” brings to my mind images of science, Darwinism, evolution. The band’s sound gives me images of Americana, dusty roads, southern roots. I couldn’t make out many of the lyrics (chalk that up to NBT acoustics), but something about the band’s name did not seem to match their sound/image.

Setlist:
Crooked Creek
Body Armor
Alone
100 Atmospheres
Born This Way
Wallpaper Flowers

For More Info, visit: myspace.com/thefossilrecords

The Reverie, NBT 1.15.09

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Back when I was a player in Columbia's music scene, we played a show with The Reverie. (We also had to load in our gear in the snow, uphill both ways.) I had a vague memory of them as a dynamic band with a lot of soft-LOUD-soft songs with good melodies, kind of a throwback to a '90s alt-rock song. Either my memory is bad or these guys have progressed since then, because they were much more than a grunge rehash. This band is a collection of chefs that likes to cook with a full buffet of sonic ingredients.

Frontman Marshall Brown is hard to get a read on at first. My impression went something like this: my first comparison was to Jack Black as he stood there with his sport coat, ruffled shirt and velvet guitar strap, goofing around during soundcheck. After a short instrumental intro, I was comparing him to Warren Haynes as he wrenched out melancholy guitar licks on "Swollen Finger Blues." Then he started singing, and I was gonna call him Layne Staley til he jumped up into the falsetto stratosphere, at which point I was thinking Our Lady Peace. Put it this way: the guy is a formidable talent on a lot of levels.

"The guitar was blowing up under his fingers as he twisted notes for all they were worth, drops of pure soul being squished out of the sides.”

The guys backing him up ain't bad either. Drummer Mitch Malyerck keeps the groove in the pocket throughout the course of Marshall's meanderings, which is probably not an easy thing to do. Jon Crowder and Kyle Senn show off their versatility by rotating among guitar, bass, and keyboard, depending on what the song calls for. Senn mostly uses the keyboard for spacey sound effects, though he added melodic elements in a few places. My favorite moment from Jon Crowder came during "Dying Man" when he used Tom Morello's famous technique of flicking the guitar's pickup switch to generate sounds. (If you're not familiar with this technique, check out the iconic solo on "Bulls on Parade." The effect is similar to a DJ's killswitch.)

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For me, the high point of the set was "Maybe There's A Sign", a ballad that began with melodic vocal lines over clean guitars and sound effects from the keyboard. The song progressed slowly, when Brown all of a sudden stepped on a fuzz pedal that must have been set for "stun." The guitar was blowing up under his fingers as he twisted notes for all they were worth, drops of pure soul being squished out of the sides. Many times, guitar solos get a bit lost in shows like this -- the mix doesn't allow them to be heard, or they're just plain forgettable. Marshall Brown made sure you wouldn't forget this one with just the perfect combination of distortion, decibels, and determination. I had my eyes squeezed shut, listening to Marshall wear it out, when I started hearing all these ghostly, glitchy melody notes behind the solo. For a second I thought dude was playing multiple lines at once (like on the movie "Exorcism of Emily Rose" where the chick talks in two voices at once...creepy!) However, it was Kyle Senn playing lines on the keyboard behind the guitar solo, which I thought was a really nice touch.

This blog would get really long if I went into more details about these songs, because they really cover a lot of ground in a short time. The basic elements are melodic verses, distorted choruses, bluesy solos, and bipolar vocals. Brown uses a lot of dissonance in his songwriting, but in a really tasty, melodic way -- think "The Sweater Song" by Weezer. The songs aren't overly long, though there are some epic moments -- there was one effects-laden jam that reminded me of something by The Doors. Put it this way -- if this band was an artist, it would have a palette with more colors than the stompboxes on Jon Crowder's pedal board.

Oh, and I've gotta tell you about the set's finale. Brown asked the crowd what they wanted to hear and The Reverie's fans unanimously begged for a song called "Everybody's Crazy." The band obliged with a quirky anthem recalling something by Queen -- tuneful, unpredictable, and hard-to-forget.

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Setlist:
Death & Taxes (excerpt)
Swollen Finger Blues
Dying Man
Kaleidoscopia
Maybe There's A Sign
That Was Just My Dream
Dark Hole
Norwegian Wood
Sewing Circle
TV Queen
(Note: These were the songs on the setlist Marshall gave me. They might not have played all of them.)

For More Info, visit: myspace.com/fallintothereverie