The sound of here
I’m trying to
understand the kids, you know. And the easiest way is through their music. The
band a kid digs now is like a tell; a window into his
future. The child who gravitates to music for its intricacies, beauty, and soul
— as opposed to being told what to like — is gonna
be a cool grown-up. The child who thinks Paris Hilton can sing or P Diddy is talented… there’s no hope.
The kids who packed WaterStreetMusic Hall last Tuesday
were no doubt enamored with Senses Fail.
And because the band is flexing past the typical emo
drone and whine, there was hope. I dug ’em too. The mondo-cool tattoo of a Sailor Jerry Indian maiden twitching
on the singer’s forearm might have helped seal the deal for me. Openers Saosin and Bleeding Through brought it a little
heavier in what I hope is an example of what is to come from this youth wave.
Bleeding Through added some heavy to the speed. They were almost metal. Saosin sounded a little prettier, but the guitar player
positively floored me when he spun the guitar around
his neck ala Ywingie at least nine times before windmilling the final chord. It was a good show despite the
mosh pit being borderline stupid with muscle-headed
overcompensation.
Donavon Frankenreiteris keeping the California
hippie vibe alive like his recent producer, Jack Johnson. Frankenreiter
opened for Gov’t Mule on Saturday at the Harro East Ballroom, with some funky twang in a laid-back
groove. The guitar threatened to break free occasionally but Frankenreiter kept it corralled nicely in the pocket.
The Mule hit the
stage sounding a helluva lot better then when I saw
them last time. Better mix, I suppose. I only stuck around for three songs but
in that time was treated to guitarist Warren Haynes’ big, big tone. Haynes
takes the Southern rock aesthetic (he’s with the Allmans,
donchaknow) and swings it like a hammer.
Got to the Bug Jar in
time to catch 40 Rod Lightning bring
the country. Nothing this week sounded like it came from here. But then again,
what does here sound like anyway?
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.
