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Five deadly venoms make beautiful music
There is something to be said about great hair, and Orange Willard has by far the best hair in the Dayton Band Playoffs. I entered Canal Street Tavern Thursday night to hear these playoff veterans jamming through a very eccentric version of ‘Bulls on Parade’ by Rage Against the Machine. Orange Willard is a 5-piece, including two guitars, bass, drum, and a voice, that mixes rock and funk to create a very likeable sound. The band performed first/third and was cheered on by a loyal crowd through both energetic sets. Their singer, who has really come into his own over the years, has a unique and powerful voice that could make him a stand in for Chris Cornell. Despite their somewhat predictable songs, the band was entertaining and had fun onstage. The band’s originals were well rehearsed an to the point like the straight-ahead rock anthem Quicksand, which ended with a scream “Don’t be buried in the sand.� Their last song, entitled Imperfect, was announced as their oldest song and in the middle of the chorus the band surprised the crowd with a version of the old funk classic song Jungle boogie.
Orange Willard’s opponents, Five Deadly Venoms, took the stage second/fourth and quickly silenced the audience with swirling pianos and organs brought to life by a ride heavy drum set, a thick bass, and heartbroken cello. It is so rare to see a band as young as the FDV are have such a clear and distinct vision of their sound. The band set up sideways with the drums to the left and played abstract instrumentals that painted pictures like a movie score. The band sprinkled in vocals at just the right times describing “pictures of Hiroshima,� and unforgotten love. The steady rhythm section brought to life by a wondering bass and a warm, red-shoed cello really gave their music depth by employing difficult tempo changes throughout each song. This was the second time I got to see these guys and was still amazed by the dueling piano virtuosos who further grabbed my attention by explaining that some of these songs were written when they were as young as twelve.
I really did dig Orange Willard’s charm and look forward to seeing them again, but my vote had to go to the Five Deadly Venoms. The coolest part about this year’s playoffs so far is to see the support that the bands give each other. I saw many members from other bands in attendance including all The Sailing guys and a few from Jet Kid Committee.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Dayton Band Playoffs
Comments
By Eric
July 18, 2006 10:01 AM | Link to this
First of all, I’d like to thank Kris for the kind words in the article. Also, thank you to those who’ve posted positive feedback on Orange Willard in the article! Our next round of Canal Street will be on Thursday, August 10th. We’d love to see everyone out there!By Kelly
July 17, 2006 12:25 PM | Link to this
Rusty from Orange Willard has such an amazing voice, and the band is way ahead of their time. Those young’uns are so talented that I see them doing much much more than the over-rated “Dayton Band Playoffs.” Sure, it’s a great “show,” but let’s just face it, it’s a Battle of the FANS, not bands. I can’t wait to see Orange Willard break out of Dayton. It’s only a matter of time.By brian
July 9, 2006 10:11 PM | Link to this
orange willard was amazing. the lead singer’s voice was totally cool. i hope i can make it to their shows in the next rounds. the system of a down cover was so good! rock on.By Marcus
July 8, 2006 2:38 PM | Link to this
Those prodigal zany kids in Five Deadly Venoms are going to rule the planet someday, mark my words. Fantastic, entirely original sound and insane talent. I think at any given point in the set, you could look at any given member in the group and be floored by the stellar musicianship of these guys; and this of course isn’t even mentioning the fact that all are recent high school graduates… Jimminie Christmas! I’d always heard a lot about Orange Willard, and I have to say that the pipes on that singer are incredible… next time, I’m hoping to hear a cover of “Jesus Christ Pose,” straight outta the Badmotorfinger era! (despite the fact that everybody gives the Cornell analogy, which I’m sure could be either flattering or irritating at this point to this young gent with the flowing mane.)