I love the Rumble. It brings out the best in bands. The Bynars had all of their blips, bleeps, pings, pongs and blurps in perfect alignment during their set at TT’s for Preliminary Night #5 of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. The catchy pop tunes underneath it all were precision tuned. The Bynars also had their sense of humor engaged, subtly pointing out that the song they had just played, “Dancing In The Dark”, was a cover. Well done.
Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck won over the Rumble judges with some amazing musicianship. These guys play to the song so well. They gather ’round Bow’s gritty tales, pick them up and carry them along to wherever they need to go.
Bow Thayer And Perfect Trainwreck take Preliminary Night #5.
Brownboot slayed. The band’s Rumble set had the feeling of a huge rock n’ roll band playing a secret show in a small club as a treat to their die hard fans. The guitars were loud, the songs brought the house down and everyone got sweaty. Talk about a band rising to the occasion. This was Brownboot’s finest moment. That was one hell of a show.
Pray For Polanski kicked of Rumble Preliminary Night #5 with a set of fierce, angular riffs and intense vocals. Their songs feel very personal yet strangely detached. I was caught pleasantly off-guard, much like guitarist Aviv Rubinstien was when he tripped over his amp. Aviv came up smiling and so did I. Once again, The Rumble has turned me on to a cool band.
The Fagettes were on fire last night. The band closed out Preliminary Night #4 of The Rumble with a set that burned hot and fast, leaving a trail of wreckage that included one bass amp and dozens of delightfully confused TT’s patrons. That’s life in a rock n’ roll band…
Last night’s Parlour Bells set at TT’s was intoxicating. The band was well prepared for their showdown in the Rumble prelims. Parlour Bells drew the crowd in with their glamourous, sultry pop. The performance was dynamic and engaging. Their songs are superb. They are one of the finest bands in town, yet somehow get better with every show. They may not have won the night, but don’t count them out yet.
Never Got Caught performed a punishing set on Preliminary Night #4 of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. Never Got Caught brought the heavy to TT’s on a diverse night of music. These guys can play.
I haven’t felt the floor at TT’s shake like this in a long time. Cask Mouse is on stage killing it. The last time I saw these guys I commented I like them more and more each time I see them. The trend continues tonight. Their set on Preliminary Night #4 of the 2012 Rumble has people stomping, clapping, hooting and hollering. As Cask Mouse finishes, my wife and I turn to each other with the same thought: That’s going to be tough to beat. The judges agree. Cask Mouse takes the night.
Angelle Wood loves her job. She's also really good at it.
After a much needed day of rest, the Rumble returns with Preliminary Night #4 (Cask Mouse, Never Got Caught, Parlour Bells and The Fagettes) tonight at TT’s. Before I head out, here are a few thought on the first half of the week…
Old Favorites
Thick Shakes shook TT's.
It was great to see strong showings from some old favorites in the 2012 edition of the Rumble. The Rationales and Garvy J. took their nights, so I’ll be catching them again next week. Thick Shakes put on a raucous show to kick off their night. Cooling Towers did the same to close out theirs.
New Faces
The Tin Thistles quenched my thirst for new music. Please say I didn't just write that caption.
One of the best things about The Rumble is being able to check out bands you haven’t see before. I’ve managed to catch 5 new bands so far. Ghosts Of Jupiter took Preliminary Night #3 and left me eager to check them out again next week. The Susan Constant was fantastic. I know they made some new fans on their night. The Tin Thistles brought with them the same devil-may-care attitude Mellow Bravo had last year. In the end, it’s just a big party, right? I also got my first exposure to Letterday and Grey Valley Ghosts. The biggest disappointment of this year’s event was not being able to catch The Grownup Noise. I’ve heard great things about them, but Paul Hansen slipped a disc in his back and they had to withdraw from the competition. Get well soon, Paul!
Lada Vs. Lada
Tommy Lada will compete against himself on Friday the 13th.
This is my favorite story of this year’s Rumble. With Garvy J. and Ghosts Of Jupiter advancing to the semi-final round, Tommy Lada will be competing against himself on Friday the 13th. How much fun is that going to be to watch?
Fun With Numbers
Endless Wave was the only trio in the first three nights of The Rumble.
The third time’s the charm: All of the winners so far have come slot #3.*
Strength in numbers: All of the winners have had 5 members. In fact, 7 of the 11 bands that have performed so far have been 5 piece bands. There was one trio, Endless Wave, and a trio of 4 piece acts.
Two for one: 2 bands had covers in their sets.** 2 bands have had 3 guitars.*** Only Letterday had both.
Play Me Out
Animal Talk’s “Into The Sun” is just too damn catchy. That song, and a few of the other songs that have been stuck in my head after these first few Rumble nights, are below. Check them out, and then come out for the rest of the action. Here’s the schedule. Get thee to TT’s!
* The Rationales were scheduled for the third slot, but moved to the second when The Grownup Noise had to cancel. I’m still going to allow this little “fact” to stand.
** Letterday covered “Holiday” by The Get Up Kids. The Tin Thistles busted out The Misfits’ “Skulls”. Garvy J. had musical references to other songs, but no true covers.
Letterday’s Rumble set was tight. Really tight. These guys came ready to play and delivered exactly what their fans wanted: heavy, energetic, melodic indie-rock. Their amped-up cover of The Get Up Kids’ “Holiday” will give you a pretty good idea of their sound. It’s hard to imagine too many bands doing this kind of thing better than Letterday.
