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I'm having a bit of a rough week so, much like last night, I show up very tired. Tonight, however, I am provided with entertainment more appropriate for maintaining my energy level. Andrea Gillis is a powerhouse rock and roll howler of the Old School. She has assembled a band that can play this style with grace and flair, wowing us with audio pyrotechnics as needed and getting the hell out of the way when Andrea really gets going, as she does on almost every song. There's, like, one slow song, and it's a soulful beauty, but most of it is wild, rootsy fare. The keyboard player sings some dynamite harmonies, too. There is a two-piece horn section off to the side of the stage, but since they don't have microphones, it's nearly impossible to tell that they are playing at all, much less what they're playing.
Next are The Dents, and if Andrea had energy enough to keep me up, The Dents have almost enough to do me in. They have a new drummer since I last saw them, and he's perfect. He's not all that flashy or creative, but if he were, it would be inappropriate. These are upbeat, tuneful punk songs, fast and furious with the guitar solo coming after the second chorus like clockwork, and anything more than really good fills around the basic 4/4 beats would be overplaying. The bass amp cuts out during an early song, leaving Jen to attempt patter while they try to fix it; her patter is a little awkward, but is made endearing by her obvious "Fuck this, I don't do patter" attitude. Aside from that, it's a pretty flawless set.
