Brass Bed - Presto Bando -- Iota - Nov 20 2011

Presto Bando - When I am seeing someone for the fourth time, it is pretty obvious I like the band a lot (or they open for great bands) so there is not a whole lot more to add here regarding tonight's show. But if you have not heard this trio, please get out there next time they play. Their quirky, heavy, funny brand of rock music is surprisingly original these days. This unique approach is always a bit startling, but at the onset of punk/new wave, there were a lot of bands like this that had these sharp strong jagged guitar sounds with powerful bass, punchy drums and crazed intense vocals with interesting lyrics. It was another great set tonight and the smallish crowd enjoyed it. They will be working on a new album soon which I will be looking forward to. But until then, I will be happy to see these guys at any club in the area. I will leave final word to my serious music friend from Vermont who was with me and really enjoyed their sound a lot... "Imagine if Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers were grounded in thrash."

Brass Bed - From Lafayette, Louisiana comes this interesting little four-piece giving us their take on psyche-pop nuggets. It is a little heavier than I expected out of the gate with a throbbing rhythm section lending its power to the pop-rock songs. The guitarist singer keeps things melodic and flowing while the keyboardist provides some intriguing sounds (once the sound man turned him up half way through the first song). Their were some vocal harmonies and everything was really clean and attractive in that classic pop music way. The flow of the set was interesting as it started off quite heavy and finished that way with a middle that was a little more spacey, psychedelic pop. I am reminded of a better version of an Italian band called Jennifer Gentle who I saw a few years back, as there is a bit of their Syd Barrett inspired quirkiness in here as well. The guitarist and bassist switch instruments and the bass player plays a steel guitar a couple of times which thankfully sounds a lot more like the Misunderstood than Sneaky Pete (I've lightened my dislike of the instrument when people use it more in a manner that I can get into). This was a fun set by a band did enough things well with a touch of originality as well. They did not blast into my subconscious as much as the last co-headlining show I saw here, but I am quite happy to have seen them tonight.

Quote of the Night: From Presto Bando... "This song is up for a Gap Jeans commercial."