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AM Stereo are a cheery, punky sort of pop band with good, solid songs and fun, goofy stage presence. None of them has what I would call a lovely voice, but they get the songs across, and that's all they need to do. They're catchy and entertaining, with some good guitar leads to spice things up. They spend a fair amount of time on good-natured bickering between songs, which is also kind of entertaining. They call one number their "alt-country" song, in honor of The Irreverends, who apparently invited them onto this bill, but it's more cow-punk than alt-country, upbeat and energetic.
I got flamed at a lot when I wrote about The Kieran Ridge Band before. They are not to my tastes—more heartfelt, twangy Americana than I can really go for, and Kieran's voice doesn't work for me either—and some people didn't take kindly to my opinions. So let me say here that there are good things about this band. Kieran blows a mean harp, and the lead guitarist has a few serious solos, but my favorite thing about them continues to be the keyboard player's raucous, rollicking piano lines. They fit comfortably in this music, but they elevate it.
The Irreverends are not so alt-country as all that. More roots, maybe, or just good old-fashioned rock and roll. Their songs are built around the singer's tuneful rasp and a series of smokin' guitar leads. The set is well-structured, with a lot of high-energy rockers and well-spaced slower numbers. The multi-talented Elio DeLuca plays keyboard in this band, but unfortunately I can't really hear it except briefly on one song.
I haven't seen The Collisions in almost a year, during which time they have undergone a nearly complete lineup change; only Bo is still in the band. Jill Kurtz has joined on second guitar, but she and Bo have played together for years in Caged Heat, so she seems completely comfortable in this band. The new bassist is solid and powerful, and she sings able harmonies, and the new drummer is a wild man. They play a mixture of the old songs that I love so—dark, catchy indie-rock gems—and new material that fits right into their catalog. And they are joined again by a pair of scantily clad dancers, with custom platforms set up in front of the stage for them to shimmy on. I'm a bit dubious about the dancers, myself, since they kind of obscure the action on the stage, but they're good dancers and they add an entertaining, slightly tawdry note to the show.
