I don’t know Bars of Gold, but I can’t help but feel like I do and why they’ve decided to become musicians is also riddled with unanswered questions, but they settle in my stomach, my feet, my chest, my arms. I think about them often, like old friends whose short-lived visits create the memories that last lifetimes. They leave me in awe. There is an excitement in the air when I know I can make it to a show. Hell! In honor of Black History Month I played Bear Vs. Shark and Wildcatting for my kids with the reasoning that this is a Michigan band upholding the spirit of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and all before them. None of them really gave a shit, but one of my older members said, “I like this. I can feel it.” That statement alone means more than most can understand and it will live with me the rest of my life.

Bars of Gold are hardworking people- they have to be, because creating such a dynamic between the audience and their music isn’t easy, if it was easy, most other bands would’ve accomplished the connection- they haven’t. There is an unrelenting core in Bars of Gold and its surreal to watch them perform; photographs and YouTube videos will never be able to capture what it’s like to be in the audience. I’ve seen them twice before- once as Bars of Gold and once as the Talking Heads and this review marks the third. And when Bars of Gold brought elements of Mandolin, Banjo and vocal manipulation I knew this would be a band I could follow for the rest of my life. I hope Bars of Gold are successful enough to create the music they want for the rest of their lives and are able to live off of it too. Maybe I am being selfish because in all honesty I don’t want to wait to be disappointed by a new Mars Volta album every year or continue paying money for CD’s that don’t live up to their expectations.

It’s hard for me not to break down with tears in my eyes and thank Bars of Gold repeatedly for motivating me to just “be”. All of my hostility, frustration and sadness is left behind after an evening of Bars of Gold. Sadly people reading this may believe I’m dramatic or exaggerating, but they are horribly mistaken. Music is what I find hope in; it’s what I use to make it through my day, just like others who find God at their bed sides or hope in their Presidents. Everybody needs something to believe in.

And like I’ve mentioned, I don’t know why Bars of Gold decided to become musicians, but with their decision they’ve managed to get a 325 lb. dude to dance with fever and spirit. And when I left the show this time I mentioned to my girlfriend that I needed to lose weight- not for her of course, but so that I can dance without fear of having a heart attack – we both laughed.

As a side note I wanted to mention that in 2009 I listened to over 140 CD’s and that maybe one-third of them were worth listening to again. Out of those listenable CD’s maybe only a dozen or so I would take with me for the rest of my life. It’s a problem for me because it’s really hard to say someone else’s form of expression isn’t good- it bothers me to do so; just like it bothers me when others dismiss Bars of Gold just because their singers is too abrasive or that the the songs don’t have a proper chorus. My eyeball usually twitches and I remind myself to just let it go. It’s as if people can’t appreciate the energy and emotion behind music anymore. Months ago I talked to another local band’s singer that I really enjoy watching and he seemed almost jealous of Bars of Gold, dismissing them by saying the drummer was going to leave the band and the singer is too monotone. If anyone can enlighten me on the validity of such things, please do, but in all honesty I don’t believe this people have a fucking clue. And it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. You can Catch Bars of Gold at the Hamtramck Blow Out at Smalls in Hamtramck at 10:40 p.m. (never trust the start time) on Friday March 5th. After this post there will be another about Loco Gnosis and their showcases for the event. I’ve never been and so that instantly makes me an asshsole or some dude without a clue.

Rock and roll has always been a determining factor in my life (or rather that’s the way I like to see it). The night my parents met for the first time was due to a cancelled Lynard Skynard performance in 1977 (four members of the band and crew were killed in a plane crash). If my Mother’s plans weren’t altered by the bands awful fate she may have never arrived at my Father’s house for a party; years later I may have never been born. My first steps as a child was to “Stand” by R.E.M. – I’ve always loved the irony and how proud my parents were of their sons triumph.

I remember when my dad first brought home a CD player in 1993 he seemed eager to hook it into the receiver. The first and only CD we had at the time was a compilation album called “Hollywood Soundtracks” released by Blockbuster Video, the only song on the album we loved was “I’m gonna be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers. My sister and I played that one song over and over again- it was the first of many others. I can still picture the first CD’s that my father had brought home Soul Asylum’s “Grave Dancer’s Union” and Dinosaur Jr.’s “Where You Been” were among them.

I never bought CD’s as a kid because cassettes were always cheaper. The first cassette I bought was with Birthday money, it was Green Day’s “Dookie” only 27 days after its February 1st release date- I was a fresh 8 years old. 1994 is the year music became my hobby alongside comic books and action heroes. On Christmas in 1994 I received one of my most memorable gifts ever, it was a small and seemingly heavy package (for an 8 year old) and inside were Aerosmith’s “Greatest Hits”, The Cranberries “No Need to Argue”, AC/DC “LIVE” and Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and since that moment music encompassed my life like an addiction. I found myself glued to MTV in hopes of my favorite songs or scrolling through the radio on my boom box and care stereo. All the girls I fell in love with secretly listened to music their parents wouldn’t allow, while I listened to those same artists with my parents.

My first concert was at the Detroit Taste Fest in July of 1995, my parents took us to see Collective Soul only 4 months after their album “Collective Soul” was released- I was only 9. I told someone there that I saw Green Day at Woodstock and his exclamation was, “YOU WERE AT WOODSTOCK ‘94″ and I said, “No it was on T.V.” he and his friend laughed, but looking back I think they thought it was awesome my parents brought my sister and I to the show. I’ve seen over a thousand concerts and am still trying to count.

It’s important to realize how pivotal black influence was on rock and roll, hell, they invented it along with the blues genre. The history of Rock and Roll will always be debated, but most agree that it was an evolution that hasn’t stopped. In 1995 my father asked me if I would like to go to Chuck Berry and Little Richard with friends of the family (he and my mother couldn’t go) and when I said yes my father went downstairs and pulled out his records. The song I remembered listening to was a humorous feel good song by Chuck Berry called “Ding-A-Ling” and I can still remember the image of a guy swimming in the water trying to protect his “ding-a-ling”. The concert I remember in fleeting moments, but I do know that I didn’t have a clue I was witnessing two of the most influential people in rock and roll. I also realized that day that it wasn’t a white-man named Michael J. Foxx from Back to the Future who wrote Johnny B. Goode.

Rock and Roll will reinvent itself forever, but what’s important to understand is that it should always evoke the raw emotions that inspire us to move both physically and mentally. Rock and Roll, at its best, will always be challenging. The genre encompasses the silence and the explosion and we the listener will mold it into our lives where we see fit. With regards to working with black children, it’s a shame they believe rock and roll is a white thing and I do my best to show them otherwise. They really enjoyed Chuck Berry, some even danced to it. This article is in honor of Black History and their endless influence on Rock and Roll. I would also like to say thanks for helping me build a foundation to stand on and move mountains with.

An Introduction: There are 28 days in February and I am challenging myself and the kids I work with to listen to a different black musician every day. I’ve chosen many that I haven’t fully experienced in hopes it will cause Black History to become an experience for me and my kids. We are in our fourth day of Black History Month and the ingenuity and talent I’ve neglected over the years is blaringly apparent because for me- music speaks the truth.

I’ve decided to bring this Black History project to The Sunday Idiom, as well as my feelings about the music. Attached to the music are also personal stories about how these artists found their way into my life. They may be long winded stories whose importance isn’t much to you (the reader), but these are memories I’d like to remember.

Jazz in my life: In a household of Rock and Roll enthusiasts jazz barely made an appearance. It wasn’t until high school radio class that I found something in the genre that was gravitational. A trio of musicians known as the Bad Plus first sparked my interest with their cover of Kurt Cobain’s “Smells like Teen Spirit.” It was interesting, challenging and a release from the monotonous sound I was being saturated with. Slightly after The Bad Plus’s influence I found myself highly intrigued by my friend Tom who began an early hobby in live-taping- a tradition of recording live concerts and trading them with others. This tradition has been promoted and embraced by musicians for years, but seemed to gain momentum with artists like the Dave Matthews Band, The Grateful Dead, Primus and others supporting the scene. A lot of these bands could be labeled as “jam-bands” but the more I listened to jam-bands the more realized how jazz influenced their styles. I’ve also noticed with time that many modern jazz bands were included on a list of pro-taping musicians and its something both genres have in common. These are naive realizations I came across myself before Wikipedia could answer all questions of thought. Anyhow, I never took it upon myself to explore the roots of the jazz genre and still I couldn’t tell you why.

Discovering and Remembering Billie Holiday: I remember writer David Sedaris reading an excerpt of the Santa Land Diaries on NPR, Sedaris mocked a woman named Billie Holiday when he sung “Away in a Manger”. It was the first time I remember hearing Billie Holiday’s name and I never forgot it. Years later I met my friend Joi in Grand Rapids with whom I could “talk music” with. Joi was the first girl I met who could challenge my knowledge of music and she was more than willing to introduce me to the music she loved listening to. I remember her room vividly, but what I remember most is her Billie Holiday poster. Joi and I never listened to Billie Holiday, but she did introduce me to Cocorosie a band I would later realize was highly influenced by Holiday’s style.

It was in February 2009 when I listened to Billie Holiday that the jazz genre was finally blown open. My Girlfriend and I spent an evening in her cramped kitchen listening to jazz CD’s. It felt perfect, as if we were in a small cramped apartment in New York City. And we listened to a lot of music that night, but it was Billie Holiday that swept me away. I was instantly aware that her voice was unique and irreplaceable. And slowly with time I grew aware of the influences that Holiday’s music will continue to be.

Another sad truth is that I never really researched her history until a few days ago when preparing to present her music. It is deeply disturbing and depressing, especially if you’re listening to her music at the same time. There is a reason Billie Holiday is an icon and her music speaks to me on many different levels. Some of them are more social and political than “musical”, but if you’ve read this far I still have your attention. Firstly there is no reason why women should have to submit to a lineage of patriarchy and sexism. And no reason an artist shouldn’t be able to control and profit from their art.

I’ve noticed via my Site Tracker that many of you are trying to reach sunbears.thesundayidiom.com. The problem is that when I took control of myserver it dropped ALL sites. If you know them and want them back again tell them to call the Sunday Idiom and that Chris is waiting. I miss those guys.

This whole concept of Kickstarter is pretty cool, but most importantly have to tip my hat to Gaily for making Kickstarter special by allowing those who pledge to bring their artwork to the table as well. It kinda gets around the entire invitation problem and I am more than happy to get involved. I am going to challenge myself to take things to the next level. I also want to challenge you to pledge the project and submit a self-portrait.

The Sunday Idiom wants to design a postcard and thought maybe the readers would too! Check out the link below!

Take it as you will- my favorite albums of 2009.  I would like to avoid a lengthy editorial about people and their opinions and simply mention that there is plenty of music I regret not knowing about. I hope that this list will lead others in the right direction. These albums were chosen for their full and unfaultering  delivery. They also tend to be very emotive and progressive in nature.

Mumford and Sons “Sigh No More”
Progressive Folk Music that bellows passion. Unlike anything I’ve heard.

Manchester Orchestra – “Everything to Nothing” 
My most listened to album of 2009. Every listen made the album more special.

Thrice – “Beggars”
Forward-Explosive and probably one of the best “rock” albums of 2009. The song Beggars is unyielding and is one of my favorite songs of the year.

Mew – “No More Stories are Told Today Sorry They All Washed Away”
Experimental-Progressive and right up my alley. Others my find this a difficult listen.

Julian Plenti – “…is skyscraper”
A suprisingly special album from the lead singer of Interpol. It reminds me of winter in the city.

Florence and the Machine – “Lungs”
This album makes me want to go to a concert every time I hear it. It causes me to dance. To cry. To Laugh.

Dredg – “The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion”
If I could be in a band- this would be the one. Progressive rock founded in deep thinking. It sounds pretentious- but its just too advanced for some people. (Its hard for me to write with humor. Its my New Year’s Resolution.) You either love dredg or could give a shit.

Brand New – “Daisy”
This album is pure intensity and compassion.

An album full of unique songs driven by piano and vocals. A refreshing release from the angry rock music I listen to.

Mastodon – “Crack the Skye”
My favorite metal album of the year. Mastodon continually releases focused albums that surprise me. Metal music has been lost for quite sometime and Mastodon proves that hope is still out there. Isis’s “Wavering Radiant” is fantastic too.

VAST – “You and Me”
Vast is special. Jon Crosby has evolved relentlessly since his first release back in 1997. “You and Me” is an Americana driven rock album that I’ve listened throughout the better half of 2009. Jon Crosby has also always been the underdog. Please don’t forget him.

Arkaea – Years in Darkness
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle
Constants – The Foundation-The Machine-The Ascension
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Junius – The Martyrdom Of A Catasrophist
Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The Fall of Troy – In The Unlikely Event
Karen O and the Kids – Where the Wild Things Are
Mew- No More Stories Are Told Today Sorry They All Washed Away
Bell X1 – Blue Lights on the Runway
White Rabbits – It’s Frightening
A Camp – Colonia
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
And so I watch you from afar – And so I watch you from afar
Animals as Leaders – Animals as Leaders
Anti-Flag – The People or The Gun
As Tall As Lions – You Can’t Take it With You
Baroness – Blue Record
Bear in Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Beirut – March of the Zapotec and Holland EP
Better Than Ezra – Paper Empire
Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Billy Talent – 3
The Dirty Projecters – Bitte Orca
Bon Iver – Blood Bank
Bowerbirds – Upper Air
Brand New – Daisy
Built to Spill – No Enemy
Cage the Elephant – Cage the Elephant
Camel – Moonmadness
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
Clutch – Strange Cousins from the West
The Gallows – Grey Britain
Say Anything – Say Anything
Heavy Trash – Midnight Soul Serenade
Dark Night of the Soul – Dark Night of the Soul
Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones
Dead Prez and DJ Green Lantern – Pulse of the People
Diane Birch – Bible Belt
Dinosaur Jr. Farm
Discovery – LP
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Eg White – Adventure Man
Imogen Heap – Ellipse
Metric – Fantasies
Felt – Felt 3
Fiery Furnances – I’m Going Away
Florence and the Machine – Lungs
Girls – Album
God Help The Girl – God Help the Girl
Great Northern – Remind Me Where The Light Is
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Harlem Shakes – Technicolor Health
School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms (Techincally 2008 with re-release in 2009)
Hayden – The Place Where We Lived
Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
The Dead Weather – Horehound
Ida Maria – Fortress Around my Heart
Idlewild – Post Electric Blues
Polvo – In Prism
Iron and Wine – Around the Well
Isis – Wavering Radiant
Japandroids – Post Nothing
Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
VNV Nation – Of Faith, Power and Glory
Julian Plenti – is… Skyscraper
K-OS – Yes
La Roux – La Roux
Late of the Pier – Fantasy Black Channel
Little Boots – Hands
Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
Matthew Good – Vancouver
Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing
Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
Murder By Death – Finch (Book Soundtrack)
Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – White Lunar
Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring
Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Linx
Owen – New Leaves
Our Lady Peace – Burn Burn
P.O.S – Never Better
Passion Pit – Manners
Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms
Peaches – I Feel Cream
Pearl Jam – Backspacer
Pelican – What We All Come to Need
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson – Break Up
Placebo – Battle for the Sun
Prodigy – Invaders Must Die
Pure Reason Revolution – Armor Vincit Omnia
Rebelution – Bright Side of Life
Amazing Baby – Rewild
Riceboy Sleeps – Riceboy Sleeps
Rihanna – Rated R
Basement Jaxx – Scars
Akron/Family – Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free
St. Vincent – Actor
Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure
Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
Silversun Pickups – Swoon
Taken By Trees – East of Eden
Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
The Big Pink – The Big Pink
The Bird and the Bee – Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
The Black Heart Procession – Six
Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life
The Decemberists – Hazards of Love
The Longcut – Open Hearts
The Mars Volta – Octahedron
The Most Serene Republic- …And the ever expanding universe
The Mountain Goats – The Life of the World to Come
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Vast – Me and You
Muse – The Resistance
The Rifles – The Great Escape
The Swell Season – Strict Joy
The Temper Trap – Conditions
The Twilight Sad – Forget the Night Ahead
The Felice Brothers – Yonder is the Clock
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls
Those Darlins – Those Darlins
Thrice – Beggars
Tiny Masters of Today – Skeletons
Volcano Choir – Unmap
Two Fingers – Two Fingers
Tori Amos – Abnormaly Attracted to You
Wilco – Wilco
Wale – Attention Deficit
White Lies – To Lose My Life
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers
Wye Oak – The Knot
Moby – Wait For Me
Prodigy – Invaders Must Die
Idlewild – Post Electric Blues
The Dodos – Time to Die
My Dear Disco – Dance Think LP
Mastodon – Crack the Skye
Regina Spektor – Far
The Flaming Lips – Embryonic

I keep promising a best of 2009. Its coming today- I promise. I have been getting acquainted with the server, teaching myself more html and code, and having fun with the aesthetics of my blog. I reviewed about 150 albums for 2009 and the master list will be posted, as well as the top picks of the year.

Table of Contents:

Traversing in Cincinatti

Others in Cincinatti

Bogarts featuring Murder By Death, The Loved Ones, The Gaslight Anthem and Ninja Gun

Cincinatti Concert Goers

Photos of Bogarts

Traversing Cincinatti

My friend said, “Just laugh. And they’ll think you’re crazy. But next time you see someone you think is crazy, ask yourself what it is they know that you don’t.”

From Salsa at the Fountain

And I have. Charles Z. Thomas draws portraits for children at a school in Cincinnati for free. Charles proudly proclaims that he has been in jail, sickly disabled, suffered mental illness, and horrible family dysfunction. Even with all of those past problems, he has found happiness with loving people. It was his wish that we (society) could take all the strong and beautiful people in the world and rub off their positive traits on Iraq, Africa and all over the world because in Charles’ words, “It needs to be like this.”

Charles was dancing to Salsa music at the Fountain in downtown Cincinnati; he was so intriguing I had to take pictures. Towards the end of the performance, I asked him if he wanted to meet other people I met while at the conference. Charles obliged with an insanity and craziness that only those excited to be alive can appreciate. We talked. And talked. Charles is an educated man and has seen things I’ve never seen, but he assured me I was a great person, a wonderful person.

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Others in Cincinatti

Most others at this conference remained unadventurous. With a slight bit of resourcefulness, I was able to find my away around town. I went to Harbor Front in Kentucky and met a man named Keno; he travelled to Kentucky/Cincinnati from LA. Keno said, “I love seeing things I don’t normally see.” Keno took the picture of me at the bridge and I am glad for such a moment.

A wonderful woman from Sycamore St. gave me all the information I needed to find Bogart’s, a Cincinnati alternative/Indy rock venue. She also equipped me with a 24-Hour taxi card so that I could make it home safe. We talked a lot about our own cities and I left with a better understanding of Cincinnati because of her.

At Bogart’s, I met a girl from Glasgow, Scotland and Nashville, Tennessee as well as two individuals from Louisville, Kentucky.

From Bogarts

From Bogarts

The valet driver was from Europe near Yugoslavia and when I asked him if everybody outside of America hated Americans he said, “It seems that pretty much everybody hates everybody.”

I’ve gathered that if I didn’t take risks I might not have met the people I had on my trip. And I hope that one day I can be crazy, but I think I still have much to learn.

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Bogart’s in Cincinnati (in order of appearance and pictures located at bottom of page)

Ninja Gun was led by a singer who smiled like a Teddy Bear and who had a quick-witted attitude; it was fun to listen to him talk between songs. It was infectious to watch. The drummer was all over the place and had more energy than the entire rest of the band, put together. Sadly, the lighting wasn’t in his favor and the pictures of him didn’t turn out. Ninja Gun is regular rock and roll with a free-spirited, punk rock attitude.

The Loved Ones reminded me of what punk rock used to be, and because of the adult beverages, I heckled the band by screaming, “MURDER BY DEATH!” The singer of The Loved Ones reminded me that regardless of how long I screamed for Murder By Death, they would still play the same amount of time. I laughed. The singer had balls, even though it seemed as if he was hiding underneath his hoodie while he sung his punk rock ballads. In the end, The Loved Ones put forth a lot of energy and were well received by the audience in Cincinnati.

Murder by Death is a fantastic band and they hold my attention with utter awe, a feat most other bands cannot accomplish. This time, Murder by Death came on stage and played through their songs with swiftness. This disappointed me. Murder by Death usually sets an atmosphere and builds an explosive tension with their live performances and this didn’t happen in Cincinnati. This was my third time seeing the band and sadly, it was the most disappointing. However, Murder by Death still outshined all the other bands on the ticket. I feel that the energy and atmosphere Murder by Death lacked is because the crowd in Cincinnati lacked the energy as well.

Cincinnati Concert Goers (a stereotype not yet proven false)

The Cincinnati concert goers wield little to no energy while watching a concert. They stand in one place, bob their heads, and clap when needed. There is very little screaming and almost no dancing. Me and another guy were the only two people moving in the whole crowd. I looked around and the place seemed utterly unmoved. Maybe when bands come to Detroit, Michigan and say “Detroit is one of our favorite places to play,” they aren’t lying. This is also the reason why I think my Murder By Death experience was much different in Cincinnati than when I’ve seen them perform in Michigan.

At the end of the night, I had to get back to my hotel and only caught a couple of songs by the Gaslight Anthem. They too were stripped down rock and roll with clever lyrics.
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Photographs of Bogarts and the live shows

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New music sparks wanderlust inside me, an intrepid desire that is often satiated by The Sunday Idiom and those the Idiom are privileged to meet. This Saturday my wanderlust met the pull of the Magnetic Recording studio located on Lawrence St. in Pontiac; a spacious and intriguing venue whose lengthy concert “to be Magnetic” included bands- 3 Jacks & A Jill, 10Ton Dieselhead, Marco Polio & The New Vaccines, Billy Demoral & The Qualude, Frenbians and Black Lodge. The show was a fun foray into the world of Magnetic Recording, introducing me to new music and people. Andrea and I arrived around 9:00 p.m. unaware the show began at 6:00; luckily we caught 5 out of the 7 bands. Reviews of the live show are located below; you can also visit Andrea’s blog in the next few days for photographs and her review of the Magnetic Recording venue.

Table of Contents:

Jill + 3 Jacks and A Jill

Nigel

Marco Polio and The New Vaccines

Frenbians

Black Lodge

Jill

held her Mandolin with a nervous smile and was our first intimate introduction to the Magnetic Recording venue. Jill covered Bright Eye’s “The First Day of my Life” and other songs. I assumed her name is Jill because she was also lead vocalist of 3 Jacks and A Jill whose group delivered many fun cover songs, however I hope they begin playing more of their own music at their shows. 3 Jacks and A Jill were an interesting cast of musicians whose quirky quartet was fun to watch.

From Jill

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Nigel

was a horrific attempt to parody a well known band “Flight of the Concords” and this insult is delivered for a frightful number of reasons. Nigel broke down and began to giggle while performing, the interludes and cross chatter seemed too staged and the band played for far too long. Their accents were not delivered accurately or believably and weird antics were too childish to be enjoyed. I believe Nigel must revamp their image, redesign their stage show and swallow as much constructive criticism as they can stomach. After being made fun of by other acts, one of the guitarists of Nigel intruded on another artists set. Nigel didn’t earn the right to invade another artist’s act and in my opinion can dish out the insults, but can’t take them.

From Nigel

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Marco Polio

and The New Vaccines are a storm of angry and visceral noise rock pulling influences from the 80’s. The singer reminded me of Mr. Dark from Something Wicked This Way Comes and was a jagged force of intensity. The two man band wielded a wall of music that was danceable and undecipherable. The band was equipped with pedals, what looked like a vocoder, guitar, and a sampler / synthesizer constructing a presence that is uniquely theirs. I am wonderfully content with being haunted and stunned by the storm that is Marco Polio and The New Vaccines.

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The Frenbians

began their set silhouetted against a screen blazing with sunsets and other wonderful imagery. It was enjoyable rock music that bore character and common sense. At times I heard Indy influences and at other times I knew they just loved rock and roll. The band was modest on stage and left the impression that they are just cool guys that love what they do.

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Black Lodge

was understandably disappointed that their set began so late in the evening (Around 1:30 a.m.) and this reverberated throughout their performance. Kyle’s three-piece suit fit him indubitably and when bathed in red light looked like any number of characters from old Twilight Zone episodes. Black Lodge are honing their skills and bring something new to the stage every time they perform. When its time for Black Lodge to record their first album in 2010 they will have ironed out all of the inconsistencies and will deliver an album that will embody what its like to see them live.

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