Tough Shits - Call me old fashioned, but a band starts in a negative position with me when they choose a name that does not warrant listing in a major newspaper or a broadcast. I really don't care if your aspirations are small, it still is a bit too juvenile for me. I have also seen bands try to belatedly change names to try and turn things around (FUs to Straw Dogs, Urinals to 100 Flowers, Stretch Marks to Alley Cats, etc.). But on to the music. We have a five-piece with a vocalist, keyboardist and just the one guitar. The sound is garage pop, with some psyche and rock moves here and there. Lots of backing vocals in a pop manner. Decent enough hooks, but a tad sloppy at times. From the look of the band, if I were thinking in business terms, it looks like this was some sort of merger involving a hostile takeover with the pop band winning out over a grunge punk band. The chatter was a bit a bit goof-ball, too, but I have seen lots worse and they went over well enough.
Blood Feathers - Before the show, I read where these guys were good old school rockers (60s-70s). Well, they clearly started in that terrain, but had a really good modern flavor as well. It is hard to describe exactly how it worked, but it did. Three guitars blazing, a rhythm section and one guy that played sax, keyboards and percussion. Two of the guys sang, rotating lead duties and doing a lot of harmonizing in different registers. The sound was a little too thick at first but crystallized into a powerful roar with strong vocals over the top at all times. I remember seeing the Lazy Cowgirls invigorate the Ramones approach in the late 80s and these guys do the same with an earlier rock sound. Great set.
by morgan
Seas - And now, a DC band to follow the two from Philadelphia. No keyboards here, just lots of guitars with the rhythm section. The songs were more in the indie rock realms which I guess is kind of a singer songwriter approach with just a bit more of a rock sound. Very good songs here as I was drawn in pretty much from the beginning. The sound was more pounding and steady and not as jangly as others in these realms. I did think one song was "Signed DC" by Arthur Lee, until the vocals came in. There ARE only so many chords out there, so nothing wrong with latching onto the ones that sound so good. Solid effort, guys.
Quote of the Night: from the openers as they made the set list as they went along... "Alright you pick a song, then. Take your sweet time."
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