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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Year of the Rat/Handsome Distraction/Sons of Nova @ Logans [Jan.7,2011]

It was destined to be a triple CD release party presented by Runway Records. Unfortunately, Shadow of the Gods had to pull out of their two back to back shows for medical reasons. My heart goes out to the members of the band and I hope everything is well. So, stepping up to bat for them would be Year of the Rat, and they hit a home run.

I promised the boys I wouldn't copy and paste my review from the night before with just a venue name change. I couldn't anyway, because this night was an improvement on what was witnessed at the Fort Street Cafe. A lot can be attributed to Logan’s Pub. First, the stage is bigger and the band could channel their energy to the full extent of its measures. Second, there is simply more equipment. I forgot to mention that at the Fort Street Cafe, guitarist Michael Sanderson didn't have a microphone. Back up vocals are very important in displaying and exploring dynamics. Gladly, Logan’s has more microphones than you could shake a stick at [if you are into that kind of thing]. Samuel Coll and Sanderson's vox compliment eachother much like salt does to pepper. Coll is a lower than average register, which some people have unfairly wrote off as Joy Division. I would say Coll puts more passion into his vocals than Curtis did. Of course, Ryan Stringer thumped his bass strings through several effect pedals without being distracting. He has definitely found the right balance. New drummer Tylor McNeil is still learning the ropes in his second show with the band, but does he ever hit hard. He was wailing the drums tonight. Another additional missing link was Samuel Coll's use of the vocoder. It brought a Kid A essence to their set. Remember when I said the band pledged to retire their cover of Zombie? Well, jokes on them. The guy beside me was shouting for it. Practically begging for it. When I broke the bad news, he was crushed, only to have his heart light back up when the group launched into the mentioned gem [for the last time?]. I can't say much about these guys than I already have. Not sick of them yet. Props for the drum solo.

Then we switched over to Handsome Distraction after being introduced by the same guy who was heartbroken/repaired by the Cranberries cover. I'm not too sure if he just wandered up on stage, but the guys in the band didn't cause a fuss. Devin Perfect on rhythm guitar/vocals never missed a note as the sweat beamed off his skin. If the man wasn't singing, he was doing a mix between hopping and jumping, which may just be the Devin Perfect signature rock move. Bryan Reiber, with stylish hat, beat his drums with precision [as always] and is one of the finest guys that can sing behind a kit. Bassist Chris Weaver was fun to watch because he makes it look easy. Out of all the band, he seems to be the most stoic. It's not a negative slag against the man. The important thing is he doesn't look bored. Corey Scheiding, lead guitar, always has a smile on his face. You may mistake him for the Matthew McConaughey. He's just on stage doing leads and having a good time. Like, if North Korea launched a nuclear missile, he'd still be cool with it. It might have been where I'm standing, but I found it hard to hear Perfect's guitar [and he hates when people say that after a gig]. I asked around, and people said they heard it alright. So, either I was just in a bad spot or I'm technically the male Helen Keller. A sweet moment was when the band wished Sarah Butcher a happy birthday complete with traditional song. The set was pretty solid, but I think they were a tad....and I mean like a SMIDGE better when I saw them at V-Lounge. That all comes down to opinion. I guess that's why I write reviews.

It was time to get dirty with headliners, Sons of Nova. Of course, they were here to perform some news tracks off Night at the Boneyard. From the get go of Oh Yeah [IWFU], you know what you are getting into. We are talking down and dirty sleazy stoner rock with progressive elements. You will find yourself singing along to some of the most ridiculous lyrics you have ever heard. It's quite a satisfying encounter singing "I wanna fuck you" or learning that women can also get hard ons. You have the roughness of Aram Heinze on bass. I sensed a lot of Lemmy from Motorhead tonight. Dude also busts a rad bass solo. I think there should be more bass solos in rock n' roll. The only thing missing from Sons of Nova's set is a drum solo. For the first two bands, there was plenty of dancing. That was over when Sons of Nova hit the stage. It got pretty crazy to the point I was not really sure what people were doing. Jumping against each other and just letting go, basically. Codine Vandal amazed the crowd with his command of the guitar. You can tell he always has fun over there. The guitar tone is very much Josh Homme but his voice is pretty different. Like, a lot of artists just copy other people's tones or quirks. I don't find that with Vandal. On the other side of the stage was Rex Gielfeldt, who I had never seen sing back up before and I liked the added dynamic of it. The only problem with three mics is it makes for more banter on stage when people crave for the group to kick into the next rocker. Adam Griffiths was going through drum sticks like a termite infestation. It seemed like after every song he was throwing remnants of wood to the side of the stage. I've seen him play better than tonight, but the dude's human...at least I think he is. I can't say enough about new tune It's On. A drugged out Walk This Way with a heavy set of balls. It's sure to get the party started. There was a contest during their set to give away a free shirt. Two guys got up on stage and it was their task to give their best pick up line. "How you doin'?" started things off and the crowd weren't impressed. I forgot what the other guy said, but it wasn't good enough either. So, they brought some ladies up on stage. Finally, we had a winner with the ol' "party in the pants" line. I've always been a fan of "Is that a mirror in your pants? Because I see myself lathering my dick in peanut butter and skullfucking your corpse". I mean, if any girl goes for that, you know she's the one!
It was a very loose performance. The guys are pretty comfortable playing as a band. I would say the prior bands performed better, but Sons of Nova had the most fun and so did the crowd.

It was another successful Runway Presents. Runway Studios is slowly [but surely] taking over Victoria, and I hope you all attend the next one at The Fort Street Cafe. The band and I will be performing with Madd/Love and Secondhand Habit. It promises to put hair on your chest. If you are a woman, it promises to put hair on your breasts. Until next time, Victoria.

1 comment:

  1. For the Record.. Runway-Studios has zero motivation to take over Victoria. ..

    ReplyDelete