Friday, March 12, 2010

The Midnight Wine - Pearl and the Beard - Kalob Griffin Band -- Red & the Black - March 11 2010

Kalob Griffin Band - A five piece hits the stage with the usual electric instruments along with a lap steel and a lead vocalist (Griffin) adding acoustic guitar. The lead guitarist also played mandolin half the time. The sound was honkytonk rock, americana, rock, a bit of folk, a nice mix of styles. There was some unwanted dissonance or out of tune moments, but the sound was mostly good when the guitarists were sliding and ripping leads. Fair songs and a good crowd pleasing style made for a winning set this night.




Pearl and the Beard - This three piece from Brooklyn had the interesting combination of acoustic guitar, cello and percussion. All three members sang with two female voices in the mix. They started a capella and slowly added the sounds. Excellent arrangements and creative sounds. The cello was plucked bass style and bowed some. Even the acoustic guitarist was bowed (ala Eddie Phillips from the Creation, who did it before Jimmy Page) some. The music hit psyche notes, stomping rock, moody quiet moments and various other elements into a lovely eclectic stew. A really nice surprise and a band I would be happy to see again. Good luck in Austin.

The Midnight Wine -Did this band say this was there first show? Well, they certainly got their act together before hitting the stage. They sounded quite accomplished for rookies. They had a good rock sound with a real sludgy undercurrent that I thought was distinctive and powerful. Lead guitar work shone through nicely and keyboards filled out the sound even if at times it was low in the mix and the guy was sitting on the floor out of view due to the full club. The songs were quite good with the weakest song being their one cover. Well one of the songs was bound to be good as it heavily borrowed from "All Along the Watchtower". But I am not a lawyer, I just worked with them and socialize with them. A very good start for this local band and good times await.

Quote of the Night: From the headliners... "I forgot how to banter, I worked on it all day with co-workers."

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