Otis Infrastructure - Hmmm... one guy on vocals and electric guitar playing under what sounds like a band name. I sense a solo outing with songs that are probably written for and usually performed as a band. And that does look to be the case, and unfortunately sounds to be the case. There is nothing wrong here as the vocals are quite good, but it just does not escape the feeling of a missing band. The guitar work is set more to rock than folk, so unless guitarists can switch to acoustic guitar and have the chops to play solo folk or folk-rock, I wish they would refrain from taking band songs and performing them solo. I am being a little harsh here, as this is not as bad as I've seen, but it is lacking and there is no escaping it (he even alludes to this by saying that Tancred will be a full band). I will say more about Otis Infrastructure when I see the full band, but these songs certainly have potential under a full arrangement.
Tancred - We start solo again with a female guitarist/vocalist and I really like the serpentine guitar lines, which help carry the song. But when the second song begins, the bass player and drummer walk on stage to join in and we now have a full band attack. And they really push things along nicely as the full sound of a strong power pop/rock band emerges. They remind me a bit of Juliana Hatfield and a bit of my old favorites, LovelikeFire. The vocals are particularly great as she jumps quickly into upper octaves and back. It is very attractive, but you never lose sight of the great music going on underneath. They have a thick sludgy sound that never loses the precision of the melody. The hooks are really fine and the best songs are incredibly memorable. This is a band that makes me want to run home and listen to their studio output. A very fine set from a band I can highly recommend to a lost of different genre fans.
And this was my first time at the Songbyrd and it was impressive. It is a downstairs room with small slightly elevated stage. It looks like you could pack 150 people in there and there is a nice wooden floor, bar to the side and some seating in the back and along the sides. A good crowd tonight was enjoying the music, as they should with a great band and a solid sound system.
Cartoon Grab of the Night:
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