Jungle Rock And Business Casual

I ran into a familiar face downtown recently; I had taken note of this guy as he stood alone, grinning by the speakers, during a rock show at Is Venue last Tuesday. He was fairly memorable considering that he stood in the back of the dimly lit venue, shouting, “Where’s the music!?” as one of the bands ran their sound check. Although this could be inferred as rude bordering on obnoxious, I tend to respect those who are willing to show up to shows alone, on a weekday, no less, especially since I am usually one of those people (aka weirdos). I approached him on the street to inquire about his opinion on the performances. “I had a good time,” he said, “Caninos were great; they’re just so...dear.” Though not the exact qualifier I had in mind, “dear,” seems like a good way to open any discussion of this particular student band.

In a somewhat related occurrence, before the Drunk Tigers took their place on stage, I asked their bassist how he would describe his band’s sound. “We’re kinda like 90s party rock,” he replied as his bandmates nodded in ascent. It’s almost eerie listening to music that exactly fits the band’s chosen genre (90s party rock is a genre, right?); I don’t think anyone could have put it better.

Also somewhat related: No one at Is Venue that night knew a damn thing about Hearts of Darknesses, besides the fact that they were from Brooklyn, and that they were going to play something noisy that involved a keyboard.

It’s tough to get excited about a show when the audience is comprised of about twenty people, some of which are sitting, but The Drunk Tigers’ utter lack of pretension and obvious enjoyment on-stage made up for the lack of listeners. A frenetic mix of grunge and pop ensued; it was a soundtrack worthy of the most rowdy of parties. It was not music meant for intellectualizing, and it was obvious that nothing was written for the sake of attracting scenesters or music nerds. Instead, the Drunk Tigers offer something that is purely fun, enjoyable and danceable rock n’ roll with plenty of appeal. It was reminiscent of jokester bands such as The Unband (featured on the Super Troopers soundtrack!) with a slight nod to Ramones-style punk. Anyone could like their tracks whether they care to admit it or not. Personally, the only real drawback was that I didn’t have PBR in hand, the set really called for it.

Hearts of Darknesses brought in some interesting concepts music-wise but their performance was lackluster. Charlottesville was their last stop after a long tour, and, whether it was due to exhaustion or lack of interest, they seemed sloppy and at times listless on stage. Though entertaining for the first few minutes, the crowd seemed to grow tired of watching these boys slur and stumble across the stage. The group is comprised of a bassist, guitarist, and keyboardist. Together, they provide an interesting mix of electronic sounds and moody alternative rock. Think of a mix of a slightly upbeat Nine Inch Nails and the darker samples of Justice and you (kinda) get the picture. After sampling their MySpace page, I have decided they could have potential, but they need to step up their stage presence (or at least not treat a small-town show like its their own personal band practice).

The last band on the bill was U.Va. favorites, Caninos; a band mostly comprised of dudes I work with on this very publication. They play folksy pop and, as one fan put it, “their songs are catchy as shit, yo.” Their mix of classic acoustic sounds, light bass, and charming vocals create a melodic and appealing rock that (as corny as it sounds) has everyone in the audience smiling. The band’s coordinated ‘business casual’ outfits helped too. Though their music is simple, its difficult to categorize and compare. I liken it to a combination of a far more upbeat Wilco and a much more raw, less rehearsed Weezer (if that makes any sense to anyone besides myself) which could place them in an alternative folk genre. Regardless, there does not seem to be a single person who hasn’t enjoyed their shows, so they are definitely worth a cover charge.