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I'm nearing the last leg of this 100 gig odyssey, and as you know I've been lucky enough to witness quite a few totally radical shows. A few have even been downright stellar. Number sixty seven was rather special, even compared with the other special ones, my little lambs. Not only was I once more in the presence of my esteemed partner in blogging, but also in the presence of not one, not even two, but three killer bands. Oh yes. I said three. Atlanta types Gentleman Jesse & His Men, Texans The Strange Boys, and the totally girlcrush-worthy Nashvillians Those Darlins (and their token dudes, of course, who are also crush-worthy). This show was so splendiforous, so dang rockin', that not even the totally weird, awkward vibe in the crowd (and it was decidedly weird) could ruin the amount of severely fierce rock that those ladies and gents put out. It took me days to recover, frankly. I was rocked out.
MINI RECAP: Gentleman Jesse & His Men = Yabba! The Strange Boys = Dabba! Those Darlins = Do! Overall Score: A
I missed, sadly, virtually all of the set belonging to Gentleman Jesse & His Men. However, the scant few songs I saw served as a hint of the sheer balls-out, sexy rock that these young men can put forth. I'd liken them to Rick Springfield (think "Jesse's Girl" but actually cool), with a big, catchy sound and plenty of cheekiness. Further investigation is definitely needed, but I was well impressed with what I witnessed.
The Strange Boys followed, and it was during their set that the weirdness in the club began in earnest. There was a little bit of a disconnect between the crowd and the bands, though with The Strange Boys it extended to the staff, too, as they were ignored after requesting more lights so they could see the crowd's purty faces. Lighting aside, my (impatient) wait to see the band was rewarded with a delicious dose of retro-fitted rock and roll purity. The shambolic edge was present in spades, but so too was the polish that sets The Strange Boys apart from plenty of other soundalikes. I'm still counting my lucky stars to have heard my beloved "Night Might" and "Poem Party", along with "Nights In Paris", "Be Brave", and a heaping helping of other goodies. Their remarkable nonchalance about playing wowed me, as I've said before it's like they don't even try, and yet they are so very, very good at what they do. It's effortless, but with a little sneer. They shimmied and shook and rocked and rolled and by the time they were done, I loved them more than ever.
And then, to top it all off, came Those Darlins. These little ladies have beguiled the both of us here at LET, and having never seen them live before I was beyond excited. And these hot mamas most certainly did not disappoint. Oh no. I mean, any band that literally has the lights turned on to get them off the stage is impossible not to love, right? These gals were intent on causing a ruckus, and they did their due diligence. The set was soaked in sex and booze and rabble-rousing, and lordy me it was sensational. Their rocky twang was in fine form, pitting their trio of come-hither vocals with down and dirty rock, filthy hints of the blues, and a bit of Nashville for good measure. "Wild One" was the highlight of a thoroughly bitchin' set for me, being as it is one of my favorite songs these days. And hell, just cuz they're sweet don't mean they're always nice, you know. Even if they did bring Nikki's mom up onstage for a little tambourine playing. These girls are definitely whisky rock-a-rollers, to quoth my dear Skynyrd, and they rock harder than most bands around. Can't say enough good things about 'em.
I'll keep it brief. Go see these bands. End of story. Oh, and you're welcome.
mp3: Who's That Knockin At My Window (Daytrotter) (Those Darlins from Those Darlins)
If you don't want your ass rocked off on a Wednesday night, don't go see Those Darlins on their latest tour with the Strange Boys and Gentleman Jesse & His Men. While the overall small crowd might have fooled you at first sight, you know it's been a full night of entertainment when the sound guy turns on the lights and tells the band that it's time to call it a night.
Unfortunately, i missed the first bit of openers Gentleman Jesse & His Men, but let me tell you, what i heard was good stuff. While all three bands of the evening had an early rock vibe going on, GS&HM attach a nice, sped up, punk edge to their live sound, which kept the crowd rocking for their short set. Think early Elvis Costello. All in all, a great band to start the night, full of piss, vinegar and a winning stage presence. i'll be interested to catch these cats the next time they hit the scene. Second bill Strange Boys, while equally talented, didn't seem to make quite the audience connection of the other two acts of the evening. This resulted in overly long pauses between songs filled with silence, requests from the band to turn on the house lights (to better see the crowd), and, quite frankly, an overall uneasiness. Sure, the music was great, adding their own touch of fuzz and Americana to that aforementioned '50s rock vibe, but it certainly didn't seem like the band was enjoying itself much on stage, which was a shame.
The crowd, obviously, was there to see Those Darlins, as the frenzied rush to the front of the stage at the start of their set attested. i'm not sure if i've ever seen that few people in the club that close to the stage, but there you have it. The ladies ran through predominantly new songs from their upcoming ("in the next few months") LP and just released 7". As i mentioned reviewing that 7", the new sound is more ominous, spooky, sultry and dirty all at the same time. Sounds like the ladies have gone a bit swamp for this one. The band interacted effortlessly with the crowd, each member jumping into the crowd and playing frantically for extended periods, and the audience ate it up. Well, except for one ass hat that kept shouting, "You suck!," but i got the feeling that was some inside joke with the band. If it wasn't, well, that guy was a maroon. Apparently, it was family night, as Nikki Darlin brought her mom on-stage for a few numbers at the end, playing tambourine and seemingly having a blast. Those Darlins came back for two liquor fueled encores, and undoubtedly would have stayed longer had the bar staff not wanted to go home.
Don't tell your parents, but i'm late. Yesterday afternoon, i received two tracks that merited an instant Free Music Friday, even though i had already done the Tobacco/Junk Culture/Dreamend review. But i fell asleep early, so the instant part went out the window. Still, i don't want to be the last site of what's sure to be many posting these, so here we are.You'll see both Meg and i together again at Those Darlins next week (9/15) at the Black Cat, and it appears that the girls found out and released a 7" in honor of the occasion. At least, that's the story i'm sticking to. Regardless, it's an intense track, showing a side of the ladies not apparent on their debut. More menacing and sexier, with a bit less twang and a lot more tits (that's the female equivalent of balls, right?). If this is the new direction of the band, i likey. i likey a lot. What's more, you can listen to both sides of the 7" here. B-side, "Funstix Party," has the same sinister edge, but, as the name clearly states, this is a party track, plain and simple. Better still, there's apparently a new full-length with a TBD release date of early next year. Which is nice.mp3: Night Jogger (Those Darlins from Night Jogger 7")LET respects facial hair. Which isn't even a tenth of the reason why we dig Megafaun, but it's still in the DNA of the relationship somewhere. So we probably would have posted this gem from their mini-ablum, Heretofore, even if it hadn't been a rollicking, good time, breezily singing about their home state. Fortunately for all of us, it is. The boys, too, have a full-length in the works, apparently heading into the studio this fall, which also is nice.mp3: Carolina Days (Megafaun from Heretofore)
