with Wesley Wolfe and TOW3RS
Tir Na Nog
10/20/2011
This was a pretty exciting version of "Local Beers, Local Bands" - two great groups in Spider Bags and my new crush TOW3RS, plus Wesley Wolfe who I've been meaning to see for quite some time now. I was there early and excited, staking out a good spot so I could snap some of my mediocre photos...only to discover that the old lady had removed the memory card from my camera and not returned it. So not only was I not able to take photos, I now had this heavy albatross hanging around my neck, as useless as a tuxedo on casual Friday. But once the music started, things got better.
TOW3RS opened the night. I'd just seen them for the first time a few weeks prior, and instantly became smitten with their larger-than-life shambolic pop. I keep comparing them to early pre-disco Of Montreal, but there is a ton more going on, from the weird cultiness of Danielson Famile to the chamber pop of Polyphonic Spree to the...well, I feel like I should make some more "current" comparisons but I'm old and out of touch. And truly, none of those comparisons really sum up their sound, but are rather just a touchstone to give you a general idea of what you are getting into - a shambolic, BIG pop sound, instantly catchy, with band members that are too cute, like woodland creatures morphed into humans that formed a band. And something tells me of all the crap I wrote here, being compared to woodland creatures is the one they would most agree with. Oh and they are really, really fun. Did I forget to mention that? Obviously, that is the most important, and best part of TOW3RS.
Wesley Wolfe - I honestly didn't know what to expect. One of my friends mentioned they were good, but our conversation got side-tracked and I never got around to asking what they sound like. And I'm not sure what the short pigeonholing phrase would be to somewhat sum up their sound, but you remember in the mid-to-late nineties when there were a bunch of catchy bands that were almost "emo" like Get Up Kids or Promise Ring but a lot poppier, more akin to Knapsack or Hey Mercedes? That's what the bulk of their songs reminded me of. The rest reminded me of Superchunk or maybe Jawbreaker circa their "Dear You" album after Blake Schwarzenbach had his throat surgery (an unfairly maligned album, and an all-time favorite of mine). So, you know, it was fun, catchy music with a rock edge, tunes you could bounce to but not really mosh. I definitely need to hear this band's recorded output, as my interest was piqued. And as a side note, apparently Wolfe makes his own vinyl records? I don't mean records the songs and pays for the vinyl himself, but actually creates the albums? Pretty cool. That's gotta be an expensive hobby though.
The final band of the night was the always mesmerizing and dumbfounding Spider Bags. Like Whatever Brains, they are nominally a "punk rock" group, but they are so much more than that in ways that are tough to express. Really, they're probably closer to early, drunken Replacements...and I'm not saying "drunker than" the Replacements, as that is probably not humanly possible based on the stories I've read, but in the ballpark. You could probably throw some Velvet Underground comparisons in there as well, based mostly around the singer's Lou Reed-like sing-speak style, but that might be a stretch. What I do know is they are completely mesmerizing to watch live. Not only do they take advantage of every inch of the stage, they are almost definitely going to end up in the middle of the crowd at some point, and quite possibly on the floor. I've seen bands do this for years, so it's nothing new, yet every time it delights me to no end. Simple pleasures for simple minds I suppose, and I'm okay with that. Viva la Spider Bags.
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