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I am pissed that I miss most of Piles' set; I show up in time for the last one and a half songs. (I was stuck at work.) It's powerful stuff, and I am widely assured that this was possibly their best set ever. Grrrrr.
Tonight's Shore Leave set is kind of a sad occasion: their last show ever with their current drummer. (I'm told that the new drummer is excellent, but I'm still sorry to give Nick up.) Tonight's show is mostly sweetly beautiful (with a great mix providing the balance and interplay between the two intricately pretty guitar lines that I find so enthralling in this band) and streamlined. No major technical challenges, which is an achievement in itself for a five-piece band with five microphones and a ton of equipment. The ton of equipment is mostly Afshin's, and tonight he primarily plays keyboards; he and Charles double up on bass for one song, which is huge, but a bit of tight timing forces them to cut one song, so we don't get to hear the electric sitar tonight.
The Reputation are from Chicago. They are more straightforward than what we've heard so far tonight: a power-pop four-piece with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The singer has a richly textured voice and a relaxed, comfortable charisma. The rhythm section is solid, and crunchy guitars keep it from becoming overly sweet. The other guitarist also sings backup, but I'm afraid I can't hear him at all.
I've been hearing about Victory At Sea for a long time now, and somehow I've just never managed to catch them. I've been missing out! A guitar/drums/piano trio, they start out with a slow blues that leans heavily on powerful, driving piano and the singer's thick, dark alto. She can moan in a way that sounds weathered and infinitely deep, yet still really tuneful, then turn around and belt out a shattering scream. The drummer (who just got the cast off his broken hand!) is a big, scary-looking guy who sings pretty, sweet high harmonies. The pianist handles bass duties and percussive high end, and sings the low part on one song, and the guitar is noisy and strong. It's dark, raucous, beautiful stuff, and I am thoroughly captivated.
