Like any great Americanized genre, there is no right way to rock. Thanks to its variety of styles, rock music has grown to include elements of punk, folk, metal, pop and so much more. On Friday, February 3, five local bands came together at Double Door and treated audiences to a few of the many different facets of the legendary sound.
The night started with a bit of twangy grunge brought to listeners by the obsolete sounds of Lost But Happy. While they definitely get an A for energy and a strong instrumental presence, the vocal harmonies were a bit shaky. Their set did end on a high note with the tune “Lost But Happy”; a theme song complete with catchy kazoo lines and a bit of banjo (because you really can’t go wrong with a kazoo and banjo).
Next up was the indie rock band The Dead On. For musicians who describe their sound online as “80s post-punk dipped in 70s Rolling Stones”, live renditions of their songs felt more like a flashback to 2000s punk, but with grungier guitar riffs and less whiny vocals. Their set was polished as they effortless flowed between new songs, such as their upbeat tune “Radio”, and older favorites like “I’m Gonna Destroy You”.
With more than a decade of performance experience under their belt (they had a bit of time off between 2004 and 2014), American Cosmonaut took the stage in celebration of their newest EP “Move and Control”. Their sound falls somewhere between psychedelic and alternative rock with spacey vocals and strong, driving instrumentals. A standout of the night was a new tune called “Positives”, which logically enough was quite melancholy, but memorable nonetheless.
Red Jr. at Double Door
As Red Jr. takes over, electronic elements begin to surface; catchy keyboard melodies and rhythms. Of the night’s performances, Red Jr.’s sound was most balanced. Each instrumentalist knew when to build up and die back in accordance to the song. Side note: I was totally digging the red stage lighting (Red Jr= red lighting. Clever, no?). Performance details like that are greatly appreciated as it helps to personalize the set to the band onstage
Closing out the night with their electronic-induced rock was the synth trio Laik. With such a heavily produced album, their live set required some backtracking. While the live guitar and vocals worked well in the space, there was little room for a change in dynamics throughout each piece. Nevertheless, Laik drove the show to an end with an infectious groove and lingering lyrical lines.
Catch up with each one of these bands by following them on social media and/or checking out their official websites for the latest show dates and news.