On June 29th, I saw a pretty cool show at Howlers. It was only three bands, and it went by pretty quick. I enjoyed the brevity - it was short and to the point after the massive LadyFest days before. Interestingly, it was sort of like a continuation of LadyFest, as someone pointed out at the show, as all of the bands were female-fronted and one, Garter Shake, had even played there.
When I got to Howlers, Garter Shake were already playing. Since I had just seen them a few days before at LadyFest, it wasn't a big deal. This was a better set though; the sound seemed fuller and the energy was higher. The guitars seemed fuzzier too, which I almost always prefer. I hope to see this band some more, and I am interested in seeing how they develop as time goes on.
Jigsaw Youth is a band from New York City. They are named after the Bikini Kill song and have some similarities to that band, along with the Ramones and Mudhoney, with lots of crunchy riffs and wailing vocals. The members are very young, which is unusual for a band with as big of a following as they have, but it is also good to see. I'm always glad to see youthful musicians, though their musicianship is not always the best. Jigsaw Youth is a pretty good band, but I wish they had a little more stage presence or more dynamic songs. I guess it's really more of the grunge influence that I dislike more than anything else, as I have never been a big fan of that sound. Anyway, the vocals were excellent and the songs were thrashy and fast. I thought they were pretty cool overall.
Aloe played a great set, just like the last few times. I think this was the best one yet! Unlike the show at Roboto, the sound was clearer, and everything else was excellent. I love the guitar interplay. Aloe isn't playing for a bit, but they will be back in August.
Since it was a short show, we have time to check out Jigsaw Youth's America's Sweethearts. The album got me to really hear their how grungy they are. As above, I've never really liked grunge too much, so I guess that's my issue with their sound. It's still a Good album, though I think it drags at times; I like the shorter tracks, but some of them, like "House", are too long. "Aunt Jenny's Got My Back" has a nice Ramones sound, though heavier. "Moth" closes the album on a doomy, downtrodden note. A little too Mudhoney-esque for me at times, but it's a Good first start. I'm excited to see what this band does down the line.
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