Three indie acts braved the life-questioning humidity last Friday night to play at Ybor's New World Brewery. Here's a breakdown of what happened:
Although a younger friend of mine couldn't go to this show because it was held at a 21-plus venue, it was the kind of music best appreciated by an under-21 crowd. Cure for Caska's sound brought me back and reminded me of acts that I hadn't thought of in years, like The Get-Up Kids and New Found Glory — the sort with whiney singers and a plaintive, emotive style. The group's cello, violin, and stand-up bass were a welcome sight, if not the most pleasing additions sonically. What bothered me the most was the overly-affected style of singing. It reminded me of music I thought was immature and indulgent — in high school. I never got into emo or pop-punk and hence, could not get into Cure for Caska.
Morningbell
By name alone, I had a feeling Morningbell would be good. "Morning bell" is a song by Radiohead, who I consider one of the most consistent innovators in modern rock. But Morningbell weren't good. They were great.
The Gainesvillian band was a pleasing pastiche of indie and alt-rock. The easiest sonic description would be to imagine indie rockers Spoon mixed with psychedelic experimenters of Montreal. Frontman Alex Altria managed to harness the voice and ironically-cocky manner of Spoon's Britt Daniels, whereas the music itself had both the relentless rock spine of Spoon and the we-did-a-lot-of-drugs sonic experimentation of of Montreal. But, Morningbell was hard to pin down to a few influences. From the dopey drawl of The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne to the honey-throated wail of The Shins' James Mercer, I whirled through a time warp of delightful indie sounds.
Perhaps the most far-ranging warp was not in the indie universe at all — to the early 70s, time of flared trousers, wide lapels, and women-wilting high-note-hitters Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. I couldn't help but grin at the sensitive-man high notes Altria could pull off as he launched into "Soul Ma'am," a soul throwback from the group's A+ 2009 release Sincerely, Severely.
All the songs made my toe tap and body sway, but little touches made the band. With maracas, theremin air-noodling, and a surf-rock breakdown, the band more than deserved the encore they received. Check 'em out next time they play for a delightful time.
Candy Bars
Darn it, Candy Bars. The night was a disaster. The threesome couldn't play a full song with their own instruments. Cellist Melissa Grady had technical difficulties with her instrument, so the band had to improvise. The band made due with an impromptu two-person lineup, leading with songs I'd never heard — tracks that weren't from their much-heralded 2005 release, On Cutting Tigers in Half and Understanding Narravation.
I'm not sure if it's fair to describe the band as just two people, since each member provides a crucial component in the band's overall sound, but what they played seemed to be off — perhaps … a bit discouraged and frustrated from the equipment troubles. They soldiered on, however. The band eventually borrowed the cello of openers Cure For Caska, but, by this time about half the crowd had left. From that point on, it seemed like the band couldn't really hit a groove.
In all, it was worth sweltering at New World Brewery, if only for the discovery of Morningbell. Here's a video of them playing "Let's Not Lose Our Heads" from Sincerely, Severely :
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2010.