Common Market (2007 Commonwealth Ave)
LATE BLOOMER (9-9:30 pm)
MUTANT LEAGUE (9:45-10:15 pm)
BOA NARROW (10:30-11 pm)
CREEPOID (11:15-12 am)
Late Bloomer is a straight-up 90s throwback in the vein of Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, or oh so many others. What keeps such a familiar sound from being mundane is that they just do it so damn well. The songwriting solid, catchy, and sincere; the overall sound perfect: lo-fi, high-energy, stripped-down, guitar-driven indie-punk. Seeing them live is the closest you will get to stepping into a time portal and having Eric's Trip on stage blasting out genuine, unadulterated slacker hymns. Skillful drumming, unobtrusive vocals, and treble-kicked, overdriven guitars rocking on octaves and open power chords with the occasional solo. They hit the nail on the head with their demo cassette, and I can't wait to see what else these guys have up their sleeves.
Mutant League also shares an appreciation for the early indie favorites, but sounds closer to contemporary acts like No Age and Wavves. Less SST-inspired punk leanings, and more of a dreamy, frolicking, upbeat brand of shoegaze. Their debut EP is a fantastic taste of what these young gentlemen from Greensboro are capable of. The vocals float in reverb like foam on a sea of blissfully distorted guitar rifts, pulled along by brisk, whirling rhythms. The whole thing sparkles with jangling guitar melodies that bubble gracefully before overboiling into Sonic Youth style crescendos. This band is an exceptional blend of charming, engaging, energetic indie pop that is guaranteed to please.
Next we have a very special, long overdue reunion set by another Greensboro favorite, Boa Narrow. Jazzy, proggy, high caliber screamo comparable to Off Minor, with the aggression tempered by strong affinities with Yes and American Football. Every song is full of tangents: intricate and emotional blusters turn into tangles of lead strings that build elaboration upon elaboration, then digress and wander off on lengthy jazz excursions, with no obligation of making a return. I haven't seen these guys play since many years ago at Yauhaus, when an overzealous drunk guy started slamming his hand on the conga drums, then grabbed the microphone and yelled “ROCK N' ROLLLLLL!” That is exactly how excited I will be to see them again.
Finishing off the night is Creepoid from Philadelphia, with a concoction of psychedelic rock/folk/alt-country that is hard to pin down. Imagine Bill Callahan covering Jefferson Airplane with Bardo Pond as backing band. Hazy, reverb drenched electric guitar streams around acoustic strumming to create a dizzying sound that is both dark and angelic, pulled in directions sobering and bewitching. At the end of the day, slow paced gems by Kurt Vile enthusiasts will be a fine way to kick back and chill out for the evening.
-Ryan Wallace
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