Lookout Gang - It's bright, dancing, hips swaying, certainly different than what I have come accustomed to at DC9. The five piece straddles this odd line between early aught's garage pop revival, radio friendly rock, and Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion. A mix of covers and original pieces, it's a good choice to get this release party for Skyline Hotel started. The levels are exceptional too. I hate to belabor a point but I have been to so many shows with shitty levels that it does feel necessary to point out that I can hear things clearly, though DC9 seems to always be on point when it comes to levels so really it shouldn't be a surprise. It's light and easy with enough familiarity to keep everyone loose.
Broke Royals - The loose theme continues as Broke Royals take over for the
second of three sets. It too is a mix of original material as well as covers (I
Can't Feel My Face, The Weekend). If you are in a band and want get the crowd
moving, play something by The Weekend; as everyone, especially those working
the door, lost their shit. I don't mind covers but this one felt pandering;
they immediately ask the crowd to participate in the following piece. I found it interesting that they played with a backing
track. Consisting mostly of ethereal tones and keys, it wasn’t anything too
difficult so I am surprised that they haven't found a fifth member to join
them. But I digress. The crowd work is a little strange too. All of this feels
formal and professional; almost scripted. The matching vests, ties, and blue
jeans don't help; like a business casual Ramones. I get it: at the end of the
day, as a semi-professional band some money would be nice. Promotion and a
specific look certainty help solidify a band's brand (again The Ramones) and
let's be honest, most of these shows are just one big commercial for whatever
their newest album is but there is a fine line between selling your brand and
begging for it.
That said, like Lookout Gang before them, Broke Royals does
a great job of keeping things light and easy before the headliners. As you can
probably imagine, it's quite crowd friendly; nothing too quick or depressing, a
nice mid-tempo rock. Ultimately I found the music to be somewhat uninspired,
however as I mentioned earlier, they could probably sell fart filled paper
bags. Very professional.
Skyline Hotel - The room has filled out for Skyline Hotel. It nice; casual
conversation, some dancing, couples at the bar, a real bar feeling.
Unfortunately I only caught the end of their opening song but what I did hear
was really interesting. The piece leaned on the keys, rather the keys were
front and center. It was surprising considering the pieces that followed were
much more guitar driven. It had hints of early nineties Nintendo compositions.
Skyline Hotel is a four piece, lead by an acoustic, something I don't think
I've seen in a long time, like a really long time. Musically, the themes that
started the evening continue; it's a mid-tempo, easy going sound. The electric
guitar work is exceptional. It doesn't over power the compositions but when
they call for it, the solos are front and center. Really nice, they fit. It's
rare that you hear solos composed this well from a smaller band.
I'm not quite sure what I caught at the beginning because as
the night continues, the music never really comes close to what I thought I
heard. Sometimes that mid-tempo slips into jam territory, before finding
themselves right back where they started and perhaps that is what I caught
earlier, the end of a short improvisation. And as with the electric, sometimes
they too lean on that acoustic. It's nothing too surprising as the parts that
do lean on that acoustic are generally quiet, a tinge of regret. Honestly I
find the louder, quasi jamming stuff much more rewarding but the songs are all
composed well, so even if one song leans on any one particular instrumentalist,
it never leans on them so much that it is detrimental to the composition.
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