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AWESOME COLOR:
“Is it possible to smash a guitar un-self-consciously? It certainly
seemed that way at Cake Shop earlier this month, when Awesome Color
left a roomful of in-the-know types gleefully dumbstruck. (Oakley Hall
was headlining— that alone means several quality musicians were
present.) Singer Derek Stanton’s seemingly unpremeditated ax-whacking
lacked any sense of violence or menace(which is fine). It was simply
the final blow in a stream of gestures that translate across rock &
roll forms; any punk, metal, or bar-rock fan can appreciate the thrill
of someone playing guitar with his bare feet—and having it both look
and sound cool. (Yes, Stanton did that, too). Considering that Awesome
Color has been a band for only nine months, there’s an alarming lack of
things to find fault with in their music or its execution; even the
name makes sense after witnessing the trio’s unironic stage presence.
Some of the group’s songs evoke Sabbath as played by Germans in the
’70s, with Stanton’s terse riffs cruising atop crisp, loping grooves
provided by bassist Michael Troutman and drummer Allison Busch. Other
tunes come across like lean, airy impressions of classic Southern rock
(the three met in Ann Arbor, Michigan—the northernmost Southern
state—before setting up together in Bushwick). But the most indelible
image from an Awesome Color show is the rapt joy in Stanton’s face when
he backs away from the microphone for a solo. It was infections in the
close quarters of Cake Shop, and should be at the Lakeside, too.”
TYVEK:
A casual glance at the group Tyvek when they first take the stage might
disarm you. Where's the egos, where's the Marshall stacks, where does
the drummer sit? Who cares? Rock and roll music should be enjoyed;
dance, laugh, make merry. By the end of the set you will have forgotten
these trivialities. In the words of Haphash and the Coloured Coat, "a
mind blown is a mind shown." Songwriter Kevin Boyer recruited friends
Matt Ziolkowski and Larry Williams, who had never played music in a
group before, to form a band back in 2004. After a few months of
training in the attic, Ziolkowski (drums), Williams (bass), and Boyer
(vocals, guitar) unleashed Tyvek on the city of Detroit and discerning
listeners around the globe have perked their ears. The relatively
untutored nature of the group laid out a course both similar to, and
influenced by, the free-spirited world of sixties and late
seventies/early eighties DIY punk. Simple and relentless rhythms
provide the perfectly raw backdrop for a frenetic style of singing and
the unhinged and jagged guitar lines that almost careen out of control.
Instruments drift in and out of the intended tempo, psychedelic vertigo
may occur, and yet well-crafted and eminently catchy songs keep things,
just barely, from descending into madness.
THE TERROR PIGEON DANCE REVOLT!:
The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! is a loose collective of SUNY Purchase
students who play easy-to-follow disco sing-alongs and turn their
audience into part of their performance. At the helm is senior Neil
Fridd, who writes the music and spends more than twenty hours a week
working on production elements (he’s the guy in the onesie made of
stuffed-animal toys). Working with five pals, he composes
electro-indie-disco beats and supplies the props, costumes, and
entourage of party starters (many dressed as cats) who mix with the
crowd and loosen tight screws. It’s nearly impossible to stand on the
sidelines of a Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! show. Well, it is possible,
but you’d be missing the very reason people come: to be part of the
sweaty disco pileup.
THE SHAKES open the show.
Doors open at 9pm
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