764-HERO
Alarm Bells
Friday, June 28
Richard’s On Richard’s
I think I was the last one to realize the The Walkmen were a no show. Sure, there were only about ten people in the club, but I figured I just showed up early. There is some hype surrounding this band, but I never got to see if it is deserved or not. I’ll survive. Onto the opening band, which became the headlining band, 764-Hero. Their indie rock sound seemed too noisy for the mostly empty venue. The level on the lead singer’s mike was too low throughout the set. Consequently it was hard to hear any melody above the guitar, base, and drums. I was left with a disjointed sense of what they must really sound like. All I can say is…you can see them at Bumbershoot! Chances are, you’ll get a better show. Moving along backwards, we had Alarm Bells, the opening band. They look like high school kids. I thought, ok, as long as they don’t sound like high school kids. But as they played on, it was obvious there is variation in their songs. They appeared a bit uncomfortable on stage, as when the lead singer stepped away from the spotlight during a song in which he sang alone on stage, but it was rather endearing. They have this garage band sound going on, but all of a sudden there will be a slow song with big vocal emphasis. Those long, drawn out notes brought Noel Gallagher to mind. (This thought was recorded and then removed from consciousness.) Alarm Bells, however, were more polite. When the singer thanked all their friends for waiting outside in the rain to get in, I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home. A final thought for bands: shyness is nice, but shyness can stop you…from selling all the cd’s you ought to. Say your name a couple of times so your growing legions of fans can track you down.

Jana