K. Flay - Panic is Perfect -- Rock'n'Roll Hotel - Jun 12 2015

Panic is Perfect - This San Francisco quintet has a fine grasp of bouncy pop music. It is fun without being too precious. And even better, the live setting gives the rhythm section a chance to really fire and rock out enough to pull in a heavier crowd. Still, it is the bright sounding keyboards spiking out the melodies with crunching guitar and the occasional synth move that drive the songs home. They have a full time lead vocalist that keeps the crowd engaged, while they all move well and pull the crowd into their world as the set moves on. Good fun, all in all, with a perfect opening for this young Friday night crowd. I think many of them will be back for future headlining sets.

K. Flay - There is quite a lot of blending of style here in the music of Kristine Flaherty. She may be known as a 'rapper' but has a lot of musical forms working here. To start, she has an eerie singing voice that is highly effective at creating a chilling atmosphere. And behind her is a powerful drummer and a guitarist who create a strong post punk environment that perfectly set up the quiet vocals with strong music that does not distract or overpower at all. This is smart post hip hop music that helps keep things fresh in 2015 for us old timers, but clearly works even better with the young crowd tonight who are having a great time.

Cartoon Grab of the Night: Since this was such a literate crew of musicians, here's one for the literary crowd...