Being the first one at a show is not necessarily a bad thing but it’s pretty awkward. For those of you who don’t know, the Middle East is a club in Cambridge. It’s got a small stage and bar but plenty of space and a pretty sweet environment. I got to chat with some of the guys from Bozmo and Pretty + Nice before the show and discovered that all the bands on this Halloween show bill hail from the Boston area (with the exception of Emperor X from Jacksonville, FL) and are all buds. It was like one giant family, and by the end of the show I definitely felt like one of them.
Jeremy from Bozmo (and Pretty + Nice) described the band as a Kinks sound-alike, but they definitely had an early Weezer quality to them too. They opened with “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and played such classics as “Margaritaville”. Their heavy surf pop style songs started the show on a high note. And for the holiday season, the members played as a sailor, Scott Pilgrim, and God himself.
Diamond Mines took the stage and right off the bat Ben insisted the sound tech raise his levels. It was a mixture of surf and classic rock and despite a couple broken strings, these guys put on a great show. Towards the end of the set, they played a tune called “Surf Song” which harnessed all the aspects of a great surf rock tune. The solid drums, heavy bass, and guitar dexterity makes these guys a must see.
The mystery performer that is Emperor X definitely stole the show. When talking to the other bands, no one seemed to know anything about Emperor X but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a following with him. Chad, the leader of the project, ditched the stage for his first song. He went into the crowd with the two other guys from Emp. X, two acoustic guitars, and two floor toms covered in T-shirts. His self-described “Aramaic language noise pop,” included songs such as “Allahu Akbar” and “The Magnetic Media Storage Practices of Rural Pakistan”. I got to talk to Chad after his set and got a free shirt with the spray painted “الله_أكبر (Allahu Akbar) Emperor X” and the advice not to wear it to the airport.
Oranjuly, the folky noise pop band, took the “favorite dead musician/celebrity” costume memo seriously. Jerry Garcia on bass, Joe Strummer on guitar, Frank Zappa on drums, Janis Joplin on tambourine, and…Rivers Cuomo? Personally, I think he resembled Ben Gibbard, but as he said, “Rivers died a while ago.” The band started with soft folk pop but definitely upped the tempo and volume. Their harmonies and catchy songs made for a great set. There was even a special appearance from Mr. Stevie Nicks…yes, Mr. Nicks.
The band everyone came to see, Pretty + Nice were not themselves. No, they were playing their set as Hot Snakes and they definitely harnessed the D.I.Y. attitude. The crowd became alive with the loud, punk antics of Jeremy and the gang. The chemistry between the guys was pretty commendable as well. As they joked and made faces with each other they put on an extremely energetic and entertaining show. They didn’t even wait for the house music to go back on before they were back on stage for their encore. They definitely “ripped it”.
-Daniel Taverner
