The Escape Artist - Thaylobleu - Hounds of the Bordello - Sotano - Clarence Buffalo -- The Pinch - Feb 15 2014

Clarence Buffalo - I came in mid-set to this likable bar-room rock quartet. It is not entirely fair to give a full opinion, but the songs I heard were decent enough, although I had trouble finding something to differentiate them from the pack. Hopefully there will be another time to give full listen.

Sotano - This Silver Springs outfit worked a territory that is both welcome in most bars and clubs, but also should attract the ears of those who are constantly looking for new twists. These guys start with a loose post glam rock and punk it up in the way of the NY Dolls and grind it out in a garage meets pub rock style. I was not sure they had a fully realized sound as the set started, but it made sense by the time they were finished. They went over well with the large crowd and should be welcome on just about any rock show around town.

Hounds of the Bordello - This quartet played a pretty much straight down the double yellow line brand of rock music. They have a good female vocalist, who while not having any range to speak of, had enough style to deliver the vocals well. The trio behind her was competent, although this only gelled about half of the time for me. That was in part due to the songs, but more due to a thin sound which may have needed one more instrument to give it the heft needed. But they nailed a few really nice songs, especially a particularly dark moody song that conjured up a mysterious atmosphere. The components are in place for this band to have their place in this crowded city.

Thaylobleu - It has been far to long since I last saw this interesting twin-guitar rock quartet from our fair city. They have a gritty punk style at the core, but soar off into various rock and even R&B angles that it is quite difficult to pigeon hole them. And that is always a good thing, when you are able to create your own sound in the process, which is exactly what they do. The rhythm section is steady with a good power to the drums and some nifty fretwork on the bass. The lead singer does an excellent job and adds some rhythm guitar to really thicken out the sound. The lead guitarist adds some vocals, and soars off into many different styles of leads. I detect a Dr. Know metallic punk solo in one song, while others sound more like Mick Jones. When the band locks in, they have a very thick LA creative punk style that reminds me of the Weirdos, Controllers, and many more from the early days of punk. When they add some rhythmic twists, they bring in a more guitar based Nomeansno sort of sound. This is great stuff and makes me continue to believe that these guys are quite a bit underrated around the DC club scene. I will try not to wait another 12 months before catching them again.

The Escape Artist - Unfortunately, I was a bit too gassed to last another set. I have enjoyed this band previously and promised to see how they have grown some time before late 2014. That gives me another 10 months, so hopefully I will be refreshed and recharged and ready the next time. I will say that the turnout was excellent tonight for these bands with a nice crowded room that only thinned out just before I left due to the hour (five bands in one night is a challenge, even on weekends). Clearly, the Pinch is becoming an established place to see excellent up and coming local music, along with bands that have already arrived even if not enough people have noticed.

Quote of the Night between Sotano guitarist and audience...
"Sorry, I'm having trouble with my G-string."
"Take it off!!!!"