Ttotals - Closely Watched Trains -- Velvet Lounge/STTP Festival - Oct 6 2012

Closely Watched Trains - I had a chance to catch a couple acts from the Twin Lakes Records showcase event at the STTP Festival. Unfortunately I could not make it back for PG Six, but enjoyed what I saw. And the first of that was this half of what normally is a Connecticut based quartet. Although the full band would no doubt be more enjoyable, you would not know it by the fine waves of sound these two created. It was electric guitar with voice and violinist. They were skillful players and gravitated toward a lovely psyche-folk haze with plenty of bite as the songs rolled out. The label chief jumped in on drums for a couple of tunes and particularly did well with Neu! style motortik on the final number before the other two twisted into some oddball Americana turn. This set flowed and has me wanting the full band to come around some time.

Ttotals - I always hope for interesting sounds right out of the gate, when I see the overly used duet of electric guitar and drummer. Thankfully, although there is the usual blues rock in here, these guys twist it into more of a stripped down Hawkwind style vibe. The drummer works an electronics rig, so there is a lot of sound these guys put forth. There is not quite as much flourish as a Hawkwind or even Wooden Shjips, but there is plenty of creativity and dynamics between the two players. I even heard a Boris-vibe particularly in the vocals in the slower droning moments. They are from Nashville, and without a cowboy hat in sight, they are a welcome presence in any club night here at the V-Lounge or elsewhere. Great job here and the crowd was up to 15 and was likely to get a lot bigger as it was still early. Unfortunately I had to be elsewhere.

Quote of the Night: From the opener... "Thanks for being here. Without you, this would be a rehearsal."

And one more day to catch tons of bands at the STTP Festival.