Campbell w/ Harvard, Air Station, Jackyl and Dice

Amos' Southend

Oct. 8, 2010

The Deal: Four local groups play to a large Friday night crowd at Amos' Southend.

The Good: The show got started with Jackyl and Dice — Drake Margolnick, Alex Watson, Preston Hayden, Joel Khouri and Joel Willis. The rock group sets itself apart with the use of an accordion. The band's set included a cover of "Maggie's Farm," and it was after that tune that they appeared to have warmed up and felt more comfortable on stage. There was a garage band feel that will surely go away with time... All in all, they offered a good start to the night.

Sadly, the only good thing I can say about The Air Station is that they did their best to deal with technical difficulties. More on that later...

Harvard was up next and was the highlight of the night for me. The entire band brought for every ounce of energy that they could for their complex brand of indie rock. At times sounding like The Mars Volta, while at others singer Jesse Clasen appeared to be some kind of reincarnation of Shannon Hoon. While at times Clasen was difficult to understand thanks to a sea of effects on his vocals, his voice also became an instrument in the psychedelic orchestral wave that emanated from the stage. The band offered a bit of theatrics, as Clasen used a mask for the opening and ending songs, as well.

Most of the theatrics in the night, however, were left up to the headliners, Campbell. Walking out with umbrellas raised against a backdrop of a starry sky, tree cutouts and dim lightbulbs, the band aimed to create a larger atmosphere within the club. Those elements created an entire vibe against the band's indie rock. The band, all dressed in black, had obviously spent time to create a "show" instead of just singing songs. There was a different aura to the music than found on the EP, Bear With Us. Songs that sounded more like Pink Floyd sounded more like Muse in person. They threw a giant ball of lights into the crowd to bounce around and singer Matt Padgett appeared emotionally invested in most of what he sang — showcasing his range throughout the band's set.

The Bad: Where do I start...? The Air Station was having trouble right from the start as it appeared that some of the in-ear monitors were not working. Next up, a click track for the drummer failed. Instead of simply saying, "fuck it," and focusing on the show and getting the music out, the group seemed to stress to get things working. I would have been more impressed for them to scrap the technology and offer something raw and in-the-moment. Instead, it looked like a group of guys who wanted a finely-polished set but didn't have the music or emotion to back it up. Musically, the band offered a weak-version of U2 with lyrics lacking as well — "Communication is all I want/Communication is all I need." It just appeared that they were more worried about their image than about the music itself. Adding to the image aura via rock cliche was guitarist Alex Stewart "raising his goblet of rock" during a simple solo. Singer Andrew X didn't appear completely comfortable on stage and, sadly, told the crowd, "We sound better on the CD, I promise." Note to Mr. X — you should be saying, "Our technology messed up, but we still tried our best and gave it everything we had." Instead, the band looked like a defeated shell of members who gave up after the first item malfunctioned.

The Verdict: I look forward to hearing more from Jackyl & Dice. The Air Station might get a benefit of the doubt second listen, as they admitted the show was not their best. Harvard is on my "must-see" list around town. Campbell sounded like two different bands when comparing the CD and live show — I'd definitely listen live again to see how things develop and grow.

Crooked Still

Visulite Theatre

Nov. 7, 2010

The Deal: Quintet plays heart-felt bluegrass-based music for small Visulite crowd.

The Good: One of those bands that's been on my radar for quite a while, I went to see Crooked Still with an open mind and not much of any expectations. What I got was a unique style of bluegrass that had hints of folk and jazz.

Singer Aoife O'Donovan commands much of the lyrical attention though the group does find time for more traditional bluegrass-style harmonies splashed in. That's not a complaint — it gave the group a different sound that enabled it to also showcase its fantastic instrumentation. The groups take on the traditional song, "Henry Lee" was an opportunity for O'Donovan to express more of her range.

The band's use of cello added another dimension to the songs — sometimes offering more of a percussionist beat.

If banjoist Greg Liszt looks familiar, it's might be from his time in Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Sessions band.

Other standout songs were "Locust In the Willow" and "Half of What We Know."

The Bad: Only that there weren't more than the 40 or so in attendance.

The Verdict: A talented quintet that entertains not through a "show" but through talent and instrumentation.