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Thinking over the Dayton Music Fest
Biggest surprise of the night: Vanity Theft. But more in that in a moment.
My concert-going friend and I had great fun prowling the bars and byways of the Oregon District during the Dayton Music Fest last Saturday, Oct. 4, taking in as many local bands as we could. We treated the evening like one big, tasty musical sampler: A little of this, a bit of that; hey — I’ve heard of these guys; or, oh, that’s what they sound like! In short, it was a great way to catch up with the wide, always interesting variety of music being made around here.
And what we heard just made us want to hear more — the desired effect, I suppose. Here then, are a few random thoughts:
— The Joose Box: Great idea — a duo of drummer and pianist/guitarist, who mix jazz/classical keyboard stylings with frantic, .50-caliber, high-speed rock beats. I can’t say I loved it, but I’ll definitely want to try them again to decide for sure.
— The Poor Devils have that jangly guitar thing from early Cure-R.E.M.-U2 down pat, with decidedly different vocal stylings than any of those influences. They’ve got a smart sound and put on a tight show.
— Glam lives among the young on the streets of Dayton, thankfully, in the form of Friday Night Vampire Club — a group whose emaciation and energy are inversely proportional.
— The Rebel Set: We don’t have enough rockabilly in town. These wired, well-attired guys work pretty hard to fill the void with a loose, goofy set.
— Guided by Voices is back, under a different name. Bob Pollard’s Boston Spaceships evoke mid-era GBV with songs that feel more complete and fully rounded. The old faithful packed Gilly’s and already knew all the new lyrics. Here’s to the new Bob; same as the old Bob — which is not a criticism of either.
— The Nick Kizirnis Band remains as feisty and dependable as ever, though honestly I enjoy their instrumental tracks most.
— A friend described the Goody Two Shoes as “Gilda Radner doing Patti Smith.” They did not mean it as a compliment, but I thoroughly enjoyed this group, and thought the set was bursting-fireworks punky delight.
— Lab Partners closed the night at Blind Bob’s, and for my money this dense, moody outfit is still, hands-down, the best-sounding, best-produced, most thoughtful rock band in town.
— And as mentioned, the biggest surprise and most fun all night came from Vanity Theft, four girls — yes, they’re still girls — from Warren County who come on like Veruca Salt channeling the Runaways. They write, sing and play with a maturity well, well beyond their years, who manage a real trick in every tune and are definitely ready for prime time.
To anybody I missed: Seeya next year.
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