As the weekend creeps closer, the herald has been drawn to Green Auto, where three delectable offerings have been laid out, awaiting acceptance from Him. The lure of a first-time offering plus a rare offering from a longtime favorite was simply too tantalizing to pass up.
The warm day has turned into a cool evening with the ever-present threat of rain as the herald passes through the back alley, down the slope, to await the first offering of the evening. A small crowd is there to greet him as the anticipation builds for what’s to come.
SPECTRA
Opening the night with their grungy/alt-rock was a fine showing for their fourth offering. They were polished and had a steady pace that got my feet moving right away.
The progress of the lead singer from the first time I saw them to now has been outstanding. They have steadily improved their game to where they fucking NAILED their scream during their second-last song; a full-throated and beautifully controlled scream. Outstanding.
The guitarist did the only thing one should do when wielding a flying V, which is fucking shred. They stepped up more than once and gave us an earful with the ol’ squeal machine, catching me mid-flail and holding me with that sexy tone.
Since the addition of the new bassist, the songs have opened up so much more adding killer grooves in there, clicking with the drums to create the ideal foundation for the band to thrive. They are sitting great with this new lineup, and stoked to continue watching them grow.
Only one person joined on the flailing mid-way through, with a second joining in the last couple of songs. Everyone else had formed the classic “twenty feet from the stage semi-circle” with little movement.
STORIES END
The new offering tonight came courtesy of this quartet and their pop-rock good times. While more rock than pop, they had some really banger moments and sexy guitar squeals that punctuated the set.
The lead singer’s vocals were solid. They had a lot of energy and interacted well with the crowd, the few of us there. Whether there were five of us or five hundred, I feel they could still find a way to engage the crowd. They gave a fine front performance tonight.
High energy, bouncing good times with smashing drums, I found their originals had a consistent feel, crafted with heart, making for a fun set. Look forward to hearing more from them.
Straightforward and steady pacing allowed me to flail and spin to my heart’s content. Once again, I was joined by only a solo person who gave it just as much. It’s always nice to have company on that floor.
PET BLESSINGS
Finally, it was a rare offering from this excellent quartet, whose members are scattered amongst a dozen other bands in the city. A supergroup, as it were, and their semi-annual offerings are always a great fucking time.
They offer a dose of noisy, screamy punk that defies the simplistic punk model with some serious creativity on the members’ parts. With one of the best drummers in the city on the throne and being their always exciting and awesome self, this band excels in its performances and captures a beautiful experience.
The power the lead singer evokes when unleashing their rage and aggression-filled screams, feeling like they are screaming right at you, is absolutely fantastic. God damn, I love their voice.
This band is so tight and pristine, yet raw and powerful. The lead guitarist broke a string only a couple songs in, but like a fucking pro, barely missed a step and adjusted beautifully.
The crowd did not thin out, but other than a couple of members of the previous band joining in on the flailing, it was still a muted crowd right until the end.
It’s a shame this lineup went down tonight when there were so many other great options in town. All three killed it and poured their energy into a fantastic show received by a relatively small, lackluster, and underwhelming crowd.
Of course, that means all the more for me, which is more for Him.
He was pleased with tonight’s offerings.
Love it my dude.