It was ‘Recession Proof Party’ night at The Independent- a free show with local bands. First, I have to share my excitement for spending only 5 minutes finding parking in this neighborhood- seriously, it’s usually a 30 minute endeavor filled with frustration and cursing.
I walked in right before LSD and the Search for God took the stage. I’ve seen their name on the bill at many shows I’ve been to, but always seemed to miss them. As you might infer from the name, they play super dreamy rock pop music. One song fades into another, which provides a nice ambiance but tends to always leave the crowd unsure of where to clap. They sound good, but I have a slight aversion to the singer’s breathy vocals. They get lost in the music quite a bit; if the vocals were stronger I would have liked them a lot more. I also think, considering the name, they could do some great trippy visuals with their set.
As the next band set up, I remembered that free show=more alcohol…..jesus people. However, you had to be a least a little buzzed for the set we were about to witness. I noticed some interesting Burning Man type costumes- for some reason, Burners like neon green, stripes, faux fur, and near nudity….anyway, I braced myself. Actually, I moved forward so I could twitpic things for my followers. OK, so….Tornado Rider: drummer wears green stripes, fur hood, and shutter shades, and plays a drum kit emblazoned with the band’s name and it BLINKS NEON GREEN. Like the whole kit. The singer plays a cello that is covered in neon stickers with a colored sock covering the top. He wears neon short shorts and a Robin Hood hat…and shoes. Surprisingly, he has an excellent physique so he can really pull this off (I say surprisingly because normally near nudity on stage happens with those you’d prefer not to see). The bassist wore a Davey Crockett hat…that’s all I remember. They launch into their set- the music is very folksy-rock….’Golden Apple Dance’ and the like are accompanied by the singer jumping all over the stage with the cello strapped to him, doing a jig. He actually did some Angus Young duck walk moves with the cello….never seen that before! While I was being entertained by all of this, it was more performance art to me, and not music I would ever listen to outside of this. However, the last two songs of the set….something about a Falconer and then a Dinosaur song…..got heavier, but it was still a little ‘out there’….even for me. They definitely get points for creativity.
Headlining the evening was Leather Feather, who I saw earlier this year opening for Fucked Up. The band has this whole THX 1138 theme going on, and they sound Tool-esque. They are very serious about their theme…..a guy stands on stage the whole time with a staff in hand. I wonder if he’s an official member of the band? The singer, Adam, has a great voice; he’s a very passionate performer. In comparison to the stiff, slightly rocking out rest of the band (due to their costumes), he provides a stark contrast as he snakes around the stage. My favorite song of theirs would probably be the one labeled ‘Fuck’ on their myspace player. Go figure. ‘Us’ is great as well.
I spent a lot of the set arguing with this guy as to why Leather Feather was better than Tornado Rider….which devolved into, “oh, your one of those people who hates Coldplay”. Damn straight! Hahaha that made me laugh all night. Towards the end of the set, a paper mache dolphin made its way on stage, and Adam ended up riding it at the end. It was the only time they broke character the whole set. I’m not sure what that was about.
Leather Feather is definitely a local band that you should check out. My only concern is that the whole THX 1138 theme confuses people and is a bit limiting for them. We shall see…
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