June 27th was the release show for the zine. Half of the show was at The Mr. Roboto Project and the other half was at Bunker Projects. I got to the show a little late, having worked earlier in the day, and had missed the first set of the night, a member of Legs Like Tree Trunks doing some acoustic stuff. I'm not a big fan of that band so it wasn't a big deal to me. In addition to just wanting to see the show, I was helping out with the sound for the Roboto portions that night.
The second band, first for me, was Allies. They seemed way different than when I had seen them before, perhaps a less interesting band, but maybe I have too much allegiance to Greg Cislon, former drummer. Allies plays a Dischord-esque punk, somewhat post-hardcore and somewhat post-rock but a little bit mathy. They sound similar to the band Rodan. The room was already pretty crowded even by their set so it was hard to maneuver to take pictures and some people came near me behind the mixing board to do so.
Cyrus Gold played third. Keith, former Roboto treasurer, is the vocalist; I don't know the other members. They combine noise rock, black metal, Swans-esque stuff. Very loud, it's amazing to hear Keith screech like he does despite his soft spokenness, and better than when I last saw them (and imagined John Roman on drums). We're both playing with Jerkagram and Highdeaf on Saturday, 7/26, at the Shop at 8pm (don't miss it!).
The Lopez played upstairs in Bunker Projects, the first band of the night to do so. It made the break between bands very brief, which is something I tend to dislike, but the Lopez are really great. Not enough people danced, but there were definitely attempts. The PA had no mixer so Jesse and Steph had to share a mic, which was cute. They played a super solid set, and I really liked seeing the Lopez in a small room like that; it made the set more intimate despite the loudness.
We returned to Roboto to see Harlan Twins, a five-piece band. It was my first time seeing the group, though I had heard about them from friends and seen the name on flyers and on Facebook events. Their set reminded me a lot of CCR or Neil Young, especially the male vocalist who started on guitar and then switched to a pair of stacked organs.
Last, back upstairs, was Trapper's Harp. There were some serious feedback issues that I attempted to fix for much of the set. I'm not sure if it really helped. Coleton and Margo and a drummer I don't know played their Sonic Youth-ish indie rock. I've only seen Trapper's Harp once before, and that time I was annoyed by too many breaks between songs for Coleton to tune his guitar. Here it was a much quicker pace; the songs stood out more from each other. Margo's singing voice reminds of a little bit of Nico (it may just be the delivery).
I'm glad I ended up attending the release for Drag Me Home. All of the bands were good, some new ones but a lot of old favorites, some of which I saw in a different light (or maybe just a different space) after today. Despite being well put together, the show felt really loose, more of a fun party, which I enjoyed a lot. I can't wait until the next issue of the zine comes out! Maybe there will even be another release show? Check out Drag Me Home, and like the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/dragmehome.
Post a Comment