Silversun Pickups at Culture Room, January 8, 2016

Last Friday, on Bowie's birthday, no less, I went to see Silversun Pickups with Carlos. I had heard a few songs before, but this was his thing. I asked him to write a guest post. One thing he didn't mention was the opening band, Sweet Bronco, a local band that pretty much blew me away with a sound that brought to mind Joy Division among others but with more of a melodic sensibility. I will be keeping an eye on them. Oh, yeah and Silversun Pickups was great too. What I most like about them is the heavy bottom to everything. But let Carlos tell it. And when you're done, go check out his blogs Always Indigo and Cinesthesia.

About five or six years ago, I was flying from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale when, bored out of my mind from the almost five-hour trip, I decided to listen to some music from the in-flight selections. Among the usual pop crap, I happened upon a band name which sounded intriguing: Silversun Pickups. I pressed play on their album Swoon (2009). "The Royal We" immediately grabbed me, reminding me somewhat of Smashing Pumpkins with its fierce interplay between soft and loud dynamics and lead vocalist’s Brian Aubert’s half-whispered, half-snarled delivery. This was good stuff - hard-hitting, yet surprisingly melodic alternative-shoegazing-emo rock... or something of the sort. I don’t care about labels. All I know is by the time "Panic Switch" ended I was a huge fan. Thanks, Virgin Atlantic!

I hadn’t been able to see Silversun Pickups live until last Friday night, when they lit up the joint at Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale with a set that upset everyone’s – song reference here – circadian rhythm with its relentless energy. From the first song "Cradle (Better Nature)", off their 2015 release Better Nature, the band was firing on all cylinders. I was actually quite curious to see how they would translate their heavily-produced studio sound to a live environment – whether they would be drowned out by the distortion and electronic effects, or if they would go for something rawer and more stripped down. Amazingly, the answer was neither and both. While the group certainly lets loose in a live environment, it was very interesting to see how, more than anything, they are about control. That cinematic give and take between delicate and harsh never comes across as forced, with the band members complementing each other at just the right level. And that was evident throughout the night as they filled the venue with their intense wall of sound.

Aubert projected both swagger and vulnerability as he wowed the crowd with his precise shredding and impassioned vocal delivery on songs such as "Friendly Fires", his voice about to break on the verse “So who could ever break you down? / And what could ever freak you out?/ If you can carry this around / Then you will never break down.” Bassist Nikki Monninger is clearly a fan favorite, as the audience cheered her singing on the catchy "Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)", her shy presence belying her strong sense of tempo – there’s no denying her playing is the glue that holds the band together. Behind the keyboards, Joe Lester expertly manipulated the atmospherics, and drummer Chris Guanlao rounded out the theatrics with an impossibly high cymbal that he would frequently crash with delight. By the time Silversun Pickups pummeled the audience with the one-two punch of "Latchkey Kids" and "Panic Switch", Gerry and I were already about to collapse from the strain of standing for more than two hours and, well, being in our forties and out of shape. But the adrenaline kept surging and we soldiered on as the group played six more songs. By the end of the night, we were (almost) young again.

Later I found out that the setlist had included one of my favorite songs, "Cannibal," but the band had replaced it in favor of a fan request, "Kissing Families". While I would’ve loved to hear "Cannibal" live, the fact that the group opted to play a song from their debut EP, Pikul, speaks volumes as to their craft and respect for their audience. During the chorus to "Nightlight", we had all kept screaming the line “We want it!” Well, we got it. And now that it’s over, I want to get it all over again.

St. Paul and The Broken Bones with Seratones at The Culture Room

Back in January, I said I might have set the bar too high for best concert of the year because the first show I saw this year, St. Paul & The Broken Bones at The Beacham in Orlando, was on a level I never really understood before. And, although at least one other show this year came close (Ana Tijoux), I would have probably ended the year still saying that show back in January was the best of the year. Except that last night, that certainty was, at the very least, brought into question. Very serious question, by (wait for it) St. Paul & The Broken Bones who turned The Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale into some kind of sweaty soul church that I never wanted to leave.

Sertones brought it.

Opening for them last night was Sertones, who were also pretty damned good. This band from Louisiana play a certain flavor of Rock n Soul that brought to mind some of the psych and mod influenced bands of the 60s. Their groove is heavy with an almost punky feel but still firmly rooted in R&B and soul hooks. I had only heard two songs before the show, (the only 2 currently available on Spotify) but I was bobbing along to all of it. They really brought the party vibe with them and it stayed all night. As a matter of fact, singer AJ Haynes came out to join St. Paul on their "last" song, "Make it Rain." She is an electric performer in her own right. Watch this band, I will be.

Browan Lollar

From the opening notes of the instrumental intro, "Buy the Ticket" the crowd was informed that The Broken Bones meant business. And once Paul hit the stage, it was a done deal. Everyone was in his pocket instantly. This is not the sort of band you see in small venues for very long, even though that's probably where they really do best, so I can't emphasize enough how lucky I feel to have seen them twice in small venues. And last night, it was front row, baby!

Throughout the show, I sort of dangled in a strange place of overwhelming joy where I had a perma-smile and was on the verge of tears. At one point, when they played "Broken Bones and Pocket Change," which was a performance that I don't even have a word for because it I'm not sure you can emphasize the word SOUL enough, I may have even gotten a little lightheaded. It would be easy to put the glory for this all on Paul, and the man is a born performer and really did own everyone in that tiny club, but don't ever, ever, EVER discount what the Bones are doing. That band, as a unit, as individuals, as conduits for everything they play, is impeccable.

St. Paul Janeway preaching.

They played a lot of new songs last night that hint at a funkier direction on the album they mentioned they were going into the studio to start recording. They played a fucking mind melting cover of The Beatles' "I Want You." I cannot wait to hear the new album and although I immediately and desperately wanted to see them live again when it was over, I get the feeling they will be too big to play the venues I like. On the other hand, they've been playing large venues and still found pockets to play small as well, so maybe there's hope. I hope. But I also don't want to take their deserved success away in any way. 

I don't want to spend too much time talking about it, really. So let's just leave it here. That show back in January was my first time ever going to a show by myself and it's an experience I enjoyed and will do it again. But when I left that show, I really felt evangelized and like I needed loved ones to see what I had seen. Hear what I had heard. Feel what I had felt. So when I found out they were coming to Ft. Lauderdale, I knew I was going, but made damn sure to drag some loved ones to church with me. Watching my wife and friends be blown away by this band was a feeling of not so much "I told you so" satisfaction, as it was a "yes, now you understand." And, really, no matter how much I write about it or show you videos, you won't understand until you're in the room, sweating and shaking with them.

Broncho at The Culture Room: My Mind at CBGB's

Broncho!

I've always loved the whole late 70s New York, CBGB vibe. And for me, that whole thing sort of extends to bands and sounds that aren't even part of that era or scene specifically, but it's what I think of when I hear even somewhat scuzzy rock n roll that is also kinda poppy. So I sometimes lump in stuff that's more new wave or whatever into the same grouping. And then again, the thing about the CBGB bands of that era is that there really was no "sound" to it. They were all very different. Talking Heads sound nothing like Blondie who sound nothing like Television or the Ramones. And Lou Reed and Iggy Pop weren't even part of that. Yet, last night, I saw Broncho play at The Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale and those are some of the things and bands I thought about.

It's cool to be bummed.

But before Broncho came out, local band Heavy Drag from Miami opened up and I was pleasantly surprised. They bill themselves as a bummer band and I can see what they mean by that with the heavy droning sound and all. Their sound seemed to me to be fusing Black Sabbath and The Velvet Underground, a combination that seems obvious and which I'm sure many bands have claimed, but Heavy Drag also amps up the psychedelic vibe which may be why  it works really well for them. I would have bought their album last night if it had been available on vinyl (because I'm a hipster) instead of cassette (because I'm not a superhipster). None the less, check them out on Spotify and elsewhere. Well worth it.

Speaking of being a hipster, we went to the show to see Broncho, who were opening for The Growlers. Nothing against The Growlers, but I guess they're just not my thing so we didn't plan on staying and didn't. This is not the first time we've gone just for the opener. And it probably won't be the last. And since we wound up discovering Heavy Drag, it was a bonus. 

Whoa-oh oh-oh, whoa-oh oh-oh.

I'd been listening to them since their second album, Just Enough Hip to Be a Woman, came out last year. but still wasn't sure what to expect, but the bottom line is Broncho was great. I always forget just how small The Culture Room is and how great the sound generally is which was already a plus. Last night, I would say if there was any weakness in Broncho's show it was that they maybe went too loud, sacrificing clarity for the undeniable power and energy that the extra volume gave them. But, honestly, I can't complain because I didn't need to understand a single word Ryan Lindsey was singing beyond the "Whoa-oh oh-oh, whoa-oh oh- oh" in "What," or the stuttering "doo doo doo, etc" of "Class Historian." And while on the album their sound comes across with a heavier dose of glam, new wave and groove, live it was much more raw and, well, "CBGB," which in this case ranges from Ramones and Blondie to Iggy and Transformer era Lou Reed. So much punk going on in their riffs that I hadn't noticed until last night. And yet, still with the heavy textured effects and walls of reverb. It's a pretty fucking great combination that they balance without getting completely muddy. It's rock n roll, baby!

It was clear we were the oldest people at the show, which on the one hand is a sign that we're cool motherfuckers and the other is a sign that, no fuck it, we're just cool motherfuckers. We can only hope the kids at the show noticed and that it somehow inspires them. It's rock n roll, baby!!

Rock n Roll!!