Stargaze Unlimited, The Deadlight Effect, Obscured By the Sun and Modesto @ the Red Room (2/22/13)

I'd known of the Deadlight Effect and Obscured By the Sun, but I'd never seen them before.  That was enough to get me interested in this show.  As an extra bonus, it gave me the chance to see the Caldwell group Stargaze Unlimited again.

I counted about twenty-five people when I got to the Red Room.  The audience would build to around thirty-five as the evening progressed.  Pretty small for a Friday night, but it could've been worse.

Local group Modesto opened the night.  These guys seem to have been rolling along pretty well since they changed their name from Whale.  The lyrics, while still nothing special, sounded decent enough as delivered by Tyler Brodt's Robert Plant-esque wail (which sounded twenty years older than he looked).  Brodt got some good support from Alex Wargo's jagged soloing and Jesse Weidmeier and Wade Ronsse's hard-shuffling rhythms.  While they sounded a little ragged at times, their youthful enthusiasm (grinning, hopping, head-banging) compensated.  Hey, Zeppelin's lyrics were never that hot either.

Obscured By the Sun played next.  Travis X. Abbott's elegant, snarling guitar, Jacob Fredrickson's sinewy basslines and Chris Santiago's rumbling drums rode tuneful, elemental riffs for all that they were worth.  Their strong rapport became doubly impressive when I learned that these guys had only played together for two weeks.  Hypnotic stuff.

Up next was the Deadlight Effect.  This local group's ominous riffs, guttural screams, jackhammer rhythms and big flashing lights were all impressively menacing.  Unfortunately, as with most metal of this kind, the monolithic quality to this group's music left me cold.  Stuff like this just feels so formalized, so hollow to me.  I will note, however, that the band's airy synth drones did add an intriguingly ethereal touch to their Sturm und Drang.

Stargaze Unlimited closed out the night.  Sheesh--seems like I can't win with these guys.  This set featured Richard Metzger manning the drum kit again, but bassist Travis Gamble was nowhere to be found (his name no longer appears on their Facebook page either).  The lack of bass led inevitably to a thinner, slightly weaker sound.  Still, Metzger's muscular drum work and Kurtis Beckwith's searing guitar gave me plenty to listen to.  It's just too bad that not many others heard it: there were only thirteen people left when Stargaze Unlimited played.  Oh well.

You can find info about these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.

Luna Moth, Red Hands Black Feet and Stargaze Unlimited @ Neurolux (11/13/12)

Looking back, I feel a little bad about seeing this show.  The show was fine in itself (sorry for the spoiler), but I found out afterwards that there was another one this same night at the Shredder featuring three bands I hadn't seen before.  They included one from New York and another from the U.K.  Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.  Happily, I've got an upcoming show there marked on the calendar (haven't been out there in a while).  Anyway, I won't complain much about seeing Stargaze Unlimited or Red Hands Black Feet again.

I counted about forty people when I arrived at Neurolux.  The audience would thin out some by the time that Luna Moth played, unfortunately, but at least the ones who stayed paid attention to the music.

Stargaze Unlimited opened the show.  Richard Metzger couldn't make the gig due to work (Kurtis Beckwith told me this later), so they played with a substitute drummer.  The man seemed to have a little trouble keeping up, but expecting him to slip right into the regulars' tight groove probably would've been too much to ask.  All things considered, he did okay.  In any case, Travis Gamble's basslines marched stoically onward while Kurtis Beckwith's guitar hissed and snarled.

Red Hands Black Feet played next.  They started off strong by playing the first new song that I think I've heard since I started coming to their gigs (though admittedly, I've seen so many of them now that it's kinda hard to remember).  Anyway, the new song met the melodious, intricate, powerful standard set by their more familiar material and topped them for density.  They kept the momentum going by ripping through their older stuff like Steve McQueen tearing through the streets of Frisco in his Mustang.

Luna Moth from Oklahoma closed out the night.  Singer Joey Paz told the crowd at one point that they actually had a full band back home.  That surprised me and a couple of my friends: their mix of ringing guitar, nimble drums, haunting whistles and eerie, quavery vocals sounded pretty much complete unto itself.  The lyrics poured so quickly out of Paz that it was a little hard to suss them, but what I caught sounded interesting.  Also, the quietly lovely, Nick Drake-ish melodies gave the folks who stuck around a nice way to cool down after Red Hands Black Feet.

One of my friends remarked that this music suited a modest crowd like this.  He had a point: this stuff benefitted from the breathing room.  Judging from this group's recordings, though, it'd be nice if more people showed up when/if the complete lineup rolls through town.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Radio Boise.

Stargaze Unlimited, Champagne Leader, Jac Sound and 605 to San Gabriel @ the Shredder (8/7/12)

As usual, Radio Boise had set up a promising show this Tuesday night at Neurolux.  Since I'd seen the last three in a row, however, a change-up seemed in order (I'll be there for their Murder By Death show next week, though).  Anyway, I opted instead to check out a show at the Shredder featuring the excellent Caldwell band Stargaze Unlimited and a couple of acts I'd never encountered before.

Attendance was rather low for this concert, possibly due to its having to compete with Neurolux's show and with Evil Wine's Atypical Tuesday show at the Red Room.  I got down to the Shredder around 9, plopped myself down at a table and did a bit of light reading.  I'd brought along with me one of my birthday presents, 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose.  It's a collection of columns from the Times-Picayune about post-Katrina New Orleans.  Honestly, this is the closest I usually come to "light."

First up this evening was the Nampa-based band 605 to San Gabriel.  Their sharply arranged, slightly jazzy pop got the show off to a good start.  Buddy Gharing and Tomas Fisher's elegant, glittering guitars weaved and flowed with Jessica Prindle's ringing keyboard hooks and Jeff Erekson and Christian Mannion's unassumingly slick bass and drums.  Fisher's throaty vocals sounded slightly mannered but proved charming nonetheless.  It helped that he got support from his wife Lorraine's thoughtful harmonies.

After 605 to San Gabriel came Jac Sound, who kept the poppy feel of the show going.  His playing was a touch looser than usual, but his singing and songs were as pleasant and catchy as ever.  I'd put his cover of "Gangsta's Paradise" up there with Ben Folds's cover of "Bitches Ain't Shit."  In fact, I might like it more; Jac Sound just strikes me as a nicer guy.

After Jac Sound finished, the Los Angeles-based band Champagne Leader took the stage.  Their melodies sounded just as sweet as the preceding two acts', but their agreeably ragged playing and goofy, rowdy attitude added some spice to the mix: their "Handle With Care" cover sounded more like the early Rolling Stones than the Traveling Wilburys.  Shea Branham's stinging electric guitar and Vincent Munoz's pounding keyboard and acoustic guitar meshed nicely with Kasey Sullivan's sly bass and Daniel Morales's rolling, tumbling drums.  They jumped around, swapped stage positions, dropped down from the stage to mix with the crowd and joined together for some tart harmonies.

Damn good fun.

Stargaze Unlimited closed out the night and delivered the best set that I've seen by them yet.  Their brooding, intense instrumentals contrasted sharply with the other acts yet still felt appropriate: they gave the crowd a chance to wind down before bed.  Kurtis Beckwith's sinister riffs, Travis Gamble's understated basslines and Richard Metzger's titanic drumming all showed increased confidence, which gave the music extra power.  The audience hardly moved or turned their eyes away from the stage during Stargaze Unlimited's set.  Watch out for these guys.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Keesha Renna and Vagabond Promotions, who can be reached at 1 (208) 283-0259 and Whatvagabond@hotmail.com.

Cerberus Rex and Red Fang @ Neurolux; Stargaze Unlimited and Hedtriip @ the Red Room (6/12/12)

I wrote in my post for last Tuesday about my dilemma over whether to check out the show at Neurolux or the show at the Red Room.  This most recent Tuesday, my dilemma was somewhat alleviated when the start time for this week's Atypical Tuesday got moved back to 9:30-9:45.  This enabled me to see Radio Boise's show at the Lux and then catch at least part of the music at the Red Room.

I was fortunate enough to get to Neurolux before it got crowded.  I staked out a booth with good lighting, silenced my cell phone (just to stay in practice) and watched the people pour in.

I'll bet that Neurolux and Radio Boise made money hand over fist from all the PBR and Olympia that got consumed over the course of this evening.

Local stoner rock band Cerberus Rex opened the night.  Their name, their steady-as-a-tank tempo, their punishing riffs and their howling, shrieking solos all but begged for comparison to Dinosaur Jr.  I'll take Josh Galloway's stand-and-deliver bellow over J Mascis' arrogant passivity any day of the week, however, and Cerberus Rex's dense, swirling dual guitar interplay was all their own.  Galloway's stone-simple, wall-rattling basslines served as the eye of the hurricane of Pat Perkins and Z.V. House's volcanic guitars and Jake Hite's fifty-caliber drumming.  I'm definitely gonna be on the lookout for this band from now on (and I'll make sure to bring my earplugs too).

After Cerberus Rex came Portland-based hard rock band Red Fang.  Their droning, ominous, unstoppable riffs and primal rhythms signified as metal, but their wasn't an ounce of golden god to these guys.  In spirit, their down-and-dirty lyrics, their shouted/growled vocals, their raw guitar solos and their emphasis on groove and songcraft over vulgar displays of virtuosity was much less Iron Maiden and much more Motorhead (with maybe some Melvins thrown in for good measure).  As a guy who's always preferred Motorhead to Iron Maiden, I found this music entirely worthy of the raucous applause, horn-throwing and crowd-surfing that it received from the crowd.  Four horns up for John Sherman's on-target, indefatigable drumming.

After Red Fang wrapped up, I staggered out of Neurolux and headed over to the Red Room with a few friends.  By the time that we got there, local singer/songwriter Ben Kirby's Sun Blood Stories and Twin Falls group Bad Carb had already played.  That was unfortunate, but I'm sure that I'll see and write about those two soon (very soon, in Bad Carb's case--more on that later).

We walked in just in time to catch the set by Caldwell instrumental trio Stargaze Unlimited.  They've played quite a few gigs since they opened for Red Hands Black Feet back in April, and they've apparently been busy recording their first album as well.  All of this hard work seems to have tightened up their groove but good.  Richard Metzger's drumming sounded twice as dexterous and confident, the bright lyricism of Kurtis Beckwith's guitar lines had deepened and intensified and Travis Gamble's solemn bass held everything together even more firmly.  Man, I love being proven right.

Twin Falls-based, dog-faced, one-man act Hedtriip closed out this Atypical Tuesday.  His rousing, hypnotic guitar and his intricate, melodious, body-friendly programmed beats and riffs got the crowd swaying and dancing.  A fine ending to the night.  Look out for this guy when the Twin Falls Invasion hits the Red Room on June 30th.

You can find info about all of these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Radio Boise.  Special thanks also to Keesha Renna for the use of her phone's much less crappy camera.

Red Hands Black Feet, Stargaze Unlimited and Fountains @ Neurolux (4/25/12)

Heavy winds tossing around sand and litter.  Grey clouds that made good on their threat of rain around 6:30.  Not exactly my ideal spring weather, but appropriately dramatic for a Red Hands Black Feet show.

I was stoked to see how this gig would turn out.  The band has headlined a couple of shows before, but they've been on a roll since they finished recording their first album (which they say will hopefully be out sometime this summer).  They'd also played three of their songs live on Radio Boise earlier in the day, so I was curious to see what kind of crowd would turn up.

When I got down to the Neurolux, I saw some of the usual wastrels and idlers, a handful of folks that I recognized from other RHBF shows and a decent number of unfamiliar faces.  The place was far from jam-packed, but it still held a pretty respectable crowd for a Wednesday.


First up this night was Fountains, a guitar-synth-drums trio from Caldwell, ID.  They're a young band (their Facebook page says that they formed last spring), and from what I heard, they're off to a good start.  Between Mason Johnson's skipping, cascading guitar riffs, Brandon Mills' chirping, squeaking synth parts and Matt Stone's lightning-fast drum fills, their catchy instrumental tunes split the difference between Gary Numan and the music from the old 8-bit Nintendo games.  Their playing sounded a little stiff at times and didn't quite seem to mesh on some subliminal level, but I think that just means that they need to play some more live shows.  Once they really get into their groove, they'll be darn impressive.  They're already 75-80% of the way there.


Next up was Stargaze Unlimited, another instrumental trio from Caldwell.  This band formed even more recently than Fountains did (they played their first gig last October), but their groove is already stronger.  They go for a heavier, grungier sound with their music--I heard a little Pixies, a little Built to Spill, maybe a little Melvins.  Kurtis Beckwith's trebly, surf-tinged guitar rode atop Travis Gamble's stolid, twangy bass and Richard Metzger's solid, Sabbath-style drumming.  They may have  sounded kinda loose at times, but as with Fountains, that should clear up with some more gigs.  Regardless of that, their alt-rock molasses went down just fine.

After Stargaze Unlimited came the headliners.  I chatted with some of RHBF's members before the show.  They griped a little about being tired, being slightly injured or having to work later that night.  Once they took the stage, though, none of that seemed to matter.

It did my heart good to see people move right up to the front of the stage once RHBF started to play and some more move closer as their set progressed.  I sat a few feet back and watched with a friend who hadn't seen them before.  She told me how lovely their clean guitar tones were, which I'd already noticed, and how they sounded "kinda jam-bandy," which I hadn't quite put my finger on before.  She had a point: I've noticed in their more recent shows how each member has tried something a little different each time out.  This night, for instance, Jake Myers slipped a sharp little solo into one song, and Jessica Johnson's extra fills throughout showed off the increasing fluidity of her drumming.  Regardless of who does what in a given show, though, these four musicians are all growing confident enough in themselves and their material to experiment and still slam it home.  It's very exciting to watch and to hear.

You can find info about all of these groups on Facebook.  And when RHBF do release their album, I'll let you know.