Dynamic Duos

Holy terrific twosomes, Batman!

The first month of 2010 has brought a first for me: seeing more 2-piece bands than anything else.  Here are a couple not included in last week’s post:

Reverse Cowboy  (the BAND people, the BAND!)
Thinking New Year’s Eve doesn’t get much better than a dive bar and little-to-no crowd, I checked out this dynamic duo on 12/31 the Dubliner in Saint Paul.  Scottie Devlin and Cody McKinney serve up a solid mix of traditional Irish tunes, but Test Site 67 fans will be thrilled to hear a few Test Site originals thrown into the mix for good measure, including “Egyptian Skies”, which ranks in my All-Time Top 10 Favorite Songs.  This particular night we got a special treat when the duo tapped into some lighter harmonies and served up a hauntingly intense version of U2’s “New Year’s Day”, completely making the classic song 100% their own.  One of the greatest things about this 2-piece is that you never can tell who is having more fun, the crowd or the musicians because everybody rocks out like there's no tomorrow, and you'd be crazy not to join in.  If you’re lucky, you’ll hit the band on a night Scottie is sporting his kilt—yes, the Irish have their own version—and if you butter him up with comments about kilts being oh-so-sexy, you can secure nearly any song request.

Check out Reverse Cowboy for creative twists on Irish standards with a guaranteed good time.  No exceptions.

Gay Witch Abortion (hereby referred to as GWA)
While the name of this dynamic duo almost warrants an immediate exception from any sort of positive praise, I’ll bypass that urge…just this once.  Now, I’ve never been a metalhead, am not currently a metalhead, and I likely will never be a metalhead, but in the interest of an open mind, I saw GWA as an opener at the Turf Club.  Less than five minutes into the set, I was already scraping my jaw off the slushy bar floor, wondering when would be appropriate to feel impressed.  The sound coming out of one drummer and one (non-screaming) singer/guitarist was bigger, badder, tighter and more full than most 5-piece bands can produce.  My only criticism was the drummer’s excessive use of the floor tom because, let’s face it, too much floor tom can sound a bit “George of the Jungle”.  Overall, it wasn’t my style, but I was impressed with what they were able to do—make a rock chick think twice about metal.  No small feat!

Check out GWA to let out your metal angst with a band that you can actually bring NON-metalheads to see.


I leave you with the words of Cody McKinney:  "It's 2010--anything can happen, bitch!"

-E

Best New Bands of 2009

We’re three weeks into 2010, and I’m just now starting to feel like I’m actually in 2010—not 1992.  The sting of John Frusciante’s official (second) departure from RHCP is still there, but Soundgarden announcing it’s reunion has helped keep me from plummeting to the depths of despair.  This lack of plummetude has allowed me and my HLP* to renew our New Year’s Resolution from 2007 once again:

Resolution Part A:  Honor tradition.  When LEGENDS come through town, don’t hesitate.  Go directly to the show.  Do not pass Go.  Do not collect $200—spend it.  When in doubt about money, remember how you felt after McCartney came and went and you weren’t there.  Was it more mortifying or heartbreaking?  Tough to tell, but now you know not to repeat that tragic error in judgment.

Resolution Part B:  Seek and explore.  Every month check out new local bands (top priority) as well as new national acts.

To that end, we took in First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2009 showcase on Saturday, January 16, hoping to find a hidden gem or two.  I found solid sounds, eclectic vibes, and enough curiosity to lure me back to more shows of a couple of the bands that played.

Peter Wolf Crier
It’s an interesting practice to listen to a band without looking at them—just at first—so as to not let appearances get in the way.  (Would Kiss have more or less followers if this was common practice?  Insane Clown Posse?)  The first song was purely auditory for me, and I immediately was intrigued because I dig a band that can rock out on acoustic guitar, especially when it’s more aggressive than what their recorded tunes serve up.  This two-piece went to town, showcasing some acoustic angst with a slight Jack White eerie flair.  When I started watching the band I was thrown off by the frat boy-esque, white tee and button-up guitarist who played the entire show facing the side of the stage.  The shoe-gazer movement had its hey day two decades ago, but I have a hunch the side-stage-gazers will be slow to catch on….


Red Pens
Ahhh….what’s cooler: chick bassists or drummers?  Gotta love them both because they add something to the dynamic of a band that is simply impossible to achieve without having the token uterus on stage.  A solid indie alt-rock band with a dollup of pop thrown in for good measure.  Sounds like a new DQ treat.

The Afternoon DLight
Only listed as “special guests” on the bill, the crowd got a surprise from St. Cloud in the form of three high school boys, leaving the unsuspecting Joe Concert-Goer to wonder what exactly was going on.  The trio launched into a one-song set, featuring their Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes parody, “Minnesota State of Mind”.  By mid-song, the entire crowd was hooked.  It doesn’t matter that you’re not quite on key when you come up with a comedic genius of a parody that pulls at purple and gold heartstrings, taking us back to our youth when we, too, had dreams of playing to the big crowds at First Ave.  I especially liked their “Put your mittens in the air!” touch.  Well done boys, well done. 


The Twilight Hours
Cities 97’s Jason Nagel introduced these Twin Cities regulars, remarking that he’d seen them all on this stage, in various forms, a number of times.  Haven’t we all?  And don’t we all keep coming back for more?  John Munson donned his standard stage attire, a suit that manages to look both “business” and “party”—the apparel version of a mullet, really, but decidedly more awesome—and the relatively new band took off into their set like the seasoned veterans that they are.  Trip Shakespeare fans from the late 80s must be in seventh heaven: The Twilight Hours reek of TS’s influence, but lyrically, I much prefer The Twilight Hours, as Matt Wilson has noticeably matured as a writer.  The best part of the night was their cover of Foreigner’s “Feels Like the First Time”.  Way to dig out a classic!  A nod to their on-stage feeling that night, no doubt.

All in all, it was a solid night of great local tunes and important musical finds, made better by the fact that I was able to swing by the Orpheum, avoid Ticketbastard fees, and purchase my ticket to Experience Hendrix.  It’ll be one hell of a late winter including the Current’s Anniversary Party at First Ave, the MN Orchestra performing Zeppelin and Queen at Target Center, Evan Dando at the 400 Bar, and Experience Hendrix at the Orpheum.

Rock on.

-E



*HLP (Hetero Life Partner): (n.) modern term describing a friendship between two heterosexuals that are more than BFFs, less than related; more than close, less than inappropriately close.  Always a packaged deal as the whole exceeds the sum of its parts.