Birdlips Sings

Gravity Lounge has earned itself quite a reputation for supporting and promoting acclaimed local music. The venue repeatedly features performances from nationally-known Charlottesville-area musicians, such as Devon Sproule and Old School Freight Train. Last Thursday night, visitors to said Lounge were again treated to some solid up-and-coming hometown music, this time as DBB Plays Cups and Birdlips performed, along with New York’s La Strada.

The evening commenced with one David Baker Benson, Charlottesville singer-songwriter extraordinaire, captivating the crowd with a solid eight-song set. The rather happy-go-lucky preschool teacher, accompanied by his jolly drummer Kaveh Ardalan, meshed splendidly with his two special guests, second-year U.Va student Rob Froetscher and first-year Gary Canino. Who knew that this was their first performance together? Or their first time playing together, for that matter? Froetscher followed DBB’s acoustic rhythm by laying down creepy bass riff after creepy bass riff, and Canino’s shredding on electric had multiple spectators in the front of the crowd pulling the infamous Leg Pop (for anyone who’s ever been to a real Rock Show, I’m sure you’re aware of what a Leg Pop is; for those who haven’t actually been to a real Rock Show, it’s when a person will prop one of their legs up on the stage platform, essentially thrusting their crotch into the performer’s face. It’s generally seen as a sign of approval). The set reached its climax when DBB and Canino dueted into the mic, cooing, “Hey, that’s not the way to treat a lady!”

Six-piece Brooklyn band La Strada domineered the stage next, providing spectators with a wide array of instruments and sounds in what was reportedly “one of their first shows in quite some time” but their second in C-Vegas already. The band’s poppy sound was enhanced nicely by a cello and fiddle, and lead singer James Craft’s accordion-playing and Destroyer-esque vocals were quite the one-two punch. While their drummer had a dazed, zoned-out look the whole time that made him look as if he may have been hitting the sauce a little hard before their set, La Strada put on quite an enjoyable set that left me thirsty for more.

To finish off the evening, Charlottesville’s own Birdlips then took the stage. While their two-piece set-up appeared sparse following La Strada, their sound easily filled the space. Cliff Usher sang and warmed the crowd with his guitar work while Lindsay Pitts stroked the keys and provided soaring harmonies. It was clear that this was the show many had come to see but the crowd remained timid until Cliff requested that everybody come in close so they could “take an awesome Polaroid” for their MySpace. Thereafter, quarters were close and the fans were as near to the musicians as possible. It was during this time that the show was most captivating. Surrounded by other audience members and pushed close to the stage, the vocals seemed to come deep from the peripherals. The consistent, beating rhythm and their lofty but catchy melodies had an almost mesmerizing effect. I lost track of time until they brought me back to earth and ended their set with newest, most grounded track, “Comeback Kid.”

The show was undoubtedly a success for them. “That’s the biggest crowd we’ve had yet,” Lindsay noted, as I watched Cliff pack up his gear, smiling.