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.
Ghosts Of Jupiter just floored me. Their Rumble set was a clinic in heavy ’70s groove. Sure, huge sonic blasts of retro-riffage may not please everyone. Some people may write off their throwback style. That’s OK. Ghosts Of Jupiter probably can’t hear those people over the wall of awesomeness coming from the stage.
The Tin Thistles may have been playing up the “token punk band” angle for their set during Preliminary Night #3 of the 2012 Rumble, but there was nothing perfunctory about their performance. These guys came out and gave the TT’s crowd a kick in the pants. It may not have been what everyone wanted, but it was what everyone needed. They just didn’t know it.
Night #3 of the 2012 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble was the only night where I hadn’t seen any of the bands before. The Rumble is a great way to check out new bands. This night would be very fruitful.
The Susan Constant opened the proceedings with a long slow build of a number. It certainly caught my attention. Before long the band was banging out some pretty great indie rock tunes. A friend (who also happens to have won Preliminary Night #1) comments that The Susan Constant walk a line between The Jayhawks and Death Cab For Cutie. It’s an unusual combination – not one I would have thought of – but I get where he’s coming from. It’s a great sound. My friend walked away a big fan. I did too.
Wow. Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance just blew my mind. I’ve seen these guys before, so I knew they were going to be good. I wasn’t prepared for this. At times it seemed like TT’s would burst. Their Rumble set was so powerful, so joyous, that anything would have been possible. I can’t wait to see them again. I won’t have to wait long. Garvy J. And The Secret Pockets Of Hope And Resistance take Preliminary Night #2. They’ll be back for the Semi-Finals next week.
Animal Talk closed their Rumble set with a killer version of their song “Into The Sun”.* It was an early Rumble highlight for me. They may not have won the night, but their rock/pop/dance hybrid got some bodies moving. That seems like a win to me.
Thick Shakes crammed 11 no-frills garage rock songs into their 30 minute set that kicked off Preliminary Night #2 of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. It was a bashy, trashy, Farfisa-drench fuzzfest and I loved it. Don’t stop – go go go!
