By Kyle Schmitt
The Architects - This band of brothers brought their Kansas City classic
rock to the Black Cat’s backstage. Singer/guitarist Brandon Phillips has
a fine ear for vocal melodies; his timely pauses and phrasing bring to
mind The Crystals as much as any hard-rock group. His sibling rhythm
section (bassist Zachary and drummer Adam) added some thrash to The
Architects’ sound, which would’ve been just at home in the late 1970s. A
cover of AC/DC’s “Sin City” fit tightly into their set, while the
group’s own “Daddy Wore Black” was damn near anthemic. “Cadillac”
brought some impressive swagger to a set that had already featured
Brandon presenting his pick to the heavens in delayed, sweaty
anticipation of another guitar-based attack. Bonus points for the band’s
Tumblr account, which features copious entries in a Rachel Maddow fan
fiction anthology.
Agent Orange - Singer/guitarist Mike Palm knows where he’s from and why he’s here. His band played most of their debut album Living in Darkness,
the SoCal classic that helped establish west coast punk, while Palm
offered a tribute to Z-Boy skating legend Jay Adams. Palm also paid
tribute to DC, claiming he was sick of getting sent out to Springfield
for gigs. He estimated that the band hadn’t played the Black Cat since
it left its original location (many crowd members looked as if they’d
probably attended the show in question). Old favorites “Everything Turns
Grey”, “I Kill Spies”, and “Bloodstains” provoked dancing from the
old-school audience, as did a crowd-pleasing cover of the Dead Kennedys’
“Police Truck”. Palm even displayed his chivalrous side when he honored
a bride-to-be by engineering a “ladies only” mosh pit and serenading
the dancers with Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love”. The group
showcased their renowned surf-rock chops by bookending their set with
genre classics “Miserlou” and “Pipeline”. Although “The Last Goodbye”
helped round out the show, Agent Orange gave reason to believe that 35
years in the business weren’t enough for this proud DIY outfit.
Quote
of the Night: “Can you imagine if your job not only allowed you to
drink at work, but supplied the alcohol?” - Mike Palm upon recommending
the bar at Black Cat.
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