Credit: The Dragonfly
The opening band Wil Ridge (Wil Ridge – guitar, vocals, harmonica), Ray Fortune – guitar, Todd Rosenberg – drums, and Graham Palmer – bass) was as intense, sweet, and down home country alt-rock inspired as the wine they are named after. Wait, that’s Wood Ridge. Either way, I would say that Wil Ridge was the only band I heard clearly, albeit it was sort of LOUD. They had a lot of heart, diving into their set without an introduction and a quick locomotive rise in tempo as the songs progressed. It was around the second song that I realized that their lead singer has a voice to be reckoned with. He had a little bit of Bruce Springsteen but had his own voice. Toward the middle of the set, maybe the fourth song, there was a song about being a young boy and about having a backbone which I thought was Bob Dylan-esque lyrically and in vocal delivery and of course with the harmonica and acoustic guitar. The motion of their set kept an upbeat vibe and each song flowed into the next. The only signifier of a transition was the slinking bass line and drum solo in the sixth song. It’s too bad that this band was the first to go on because they deserved a bigger audience.
Winchester Rebels (Nick H. – vocals, Tyson – drums, John – bass, Nick F. – guitar, James – guitar) reminded me of a harder and darker version of Incubus with a dab of David Bowie. Hang in there, whoever’s reading this. I’ll explain myself. Had the singer learned to better imitate his voice like Brandon Boyd maybe he could have pulled that persona off. To explain the Bowie sound I refer to their opening song for which I couldn’t hear. I liked how the guitar parts sounded like “Man Who Sold The World”. I know there are similar sounds in music and music borrows from each other through influence, but this is way too much usage. Just saying. As their set continued to the third song I felt they became more “Crazy Train” heavy and catchy and transitioned into a more fluttering Incubus inspired route. My ears needed a break from the loudness, not the band itself. I went outside and noticed that not only could I hear the band better, but I could also get a vodka tonic and people watch. The last two songs were bellowing from the inside and the sound can only be described where System of a Down met Led Zeppelin, and then…I finished my drink. Between band takedown and setup a bustling crowd formed and they all headed for the bar.
Stoic Ideal (Tony – drums, Ed Lazos – vocals, Luis – guitar, Willy – bass) took over and dedicated their first song to “those of you who don’t have work tomorrow!” Susanna, CWG photographer, leaned over to me and yelled “They sound fun!” She was right! Their first couple of songs had a hard rock feel that sounded like At The Drive In and the Mars Volta are some of their influences. Around the middle of the set they began to lean into more of a faster dirty blues direction like that of the Black Keys. The closing of their set was dreamy, ethereal, and had the darker notes that are signature of the Deftones.
After a long set up Rust came on stage and I immediately felt that they were going to be easier on the ears. They were clearer and focused on their sound. The first song sounded influenced by Weezer “Say It Ain’t So” because of the distinct plucking and the second song was more upbeat because of the focus on the drum beat. In my notes it says the second and third songs reminded me of Sea Wolf. Maybe it’s the drum hits and serious tone. The fourth song the second guitarist acted as a singer and I thought that the switch between the two singers was done well. The fifth song I noticed a guitar change. What a pretty red electric with a white pick guard. Closing the set they thanked Jason their manager and I thought that was pretty awesome of them. They closed their set on a more upbeat and catchy tune. I managed to catch some of the lyrics: “I wanna sing a song to you” and “You’re so right, so wrong”. Rust was a great energy to have lead into the crescendo known as The Hot Moon.
The Hot Moon (John Paul Labno – electric guitar and saxophone, Sasha Pfau – keyboards and vocals, Jovi Butz – bass guitar, Jason Hooper – drums, Brad Lee – trumpet) were a shimmering funky surprise coming out of the depths of the darker rock melodies seen throughout the evening. The lead singers voice and lyrical deliverance reminded me of a combination of Gwen Stefani (experimental), Zoey Deschanel (simple), Jenny Lewis (story telling), and Betty Davis (funky, honest, and strong). The first couple of songs were powerful and the usage of keyboard, saxophone, and trumpet turned the night upside down. The audience members seemed to thaw from the heat of their instruments. Our blood began to pump and our feet began to move again! Starting at the fifth set I began to get that awesome feeling when Motown and artists like Sam Cooke begin to come to mind. Even a little Janis Joplin circa “Cry Baby” vocals, trembling and sultry, began to rise everyone’s Friday night spirit up from the ashes. Don’t worry, she wasn’t like Lily Allen or Amy Winehouse – she had class and style (loved her red top and black tights, reminded me of a rocked out ring leader). At one point their saxophonist was so into playing he had a saxophone and a guitar in both hands. I appreciate their musicianship! It was so refreshing.
Circus Minor (Daniel Denton – vocals and bass guitar, Sean Simmons – guitar, Adam Alt – drums) took the stage at the end of the night and by this time I was ready to go. My ears were bleeding (sarcasm) and my head felt like it was going to fall off. Basically this band reminded me of Joy Division and Black Sabbath. They had a table-trembling and bass-heavy style coupled with atmospheric and drifting melodies. They had a hazier, darker, and experimental sound that left my body shaking from the core while I walked out of The Dragonfly and back onto Santa Monica Boulevard from whence I came.
Wil Ridge: Myspace
Winchester Rebels: Myspace
Stoic Ideal: Myspace
The Hot Moon: Myspace
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