Last night, three of the most talented bands affiliated with Sargent House came together for a show at the Troubadour. Adebisi Shank, Tera Melos and Le Butcherettes played to a mostly-packed house of SH fans, many of which were clad in various shades of flannel and/or beards.
Sargent House is a label that prides itself on its eclecticism, and that was no more evident than at this show. Wexford, Ireland’s own Adebisi Shank hit the stage promptly at 8:30 and set the place on fire. Vincent McCreith, Larry Kaye and Michael Roe may have only played a thirty-minute set, but the amount of noise they made in that span more than made up for its abruptness. Strictly an instrumental band, Kaye and McCreith did have microphones with which they talked and cracked jokes between songs (“This is Los Angeles…this is the town Rockabye is about, isn’t it?” McCreith said, referencing the forgotten late 1990s alt/radio hit by Shawn Mullins).
Adebisi Shank
Musically, they were something to see. McCreith wore a thick-looking red wool mask over his face the entire set, which must have been rather uncomfortable, considering how swelteringly hot it was in the Troubadour already. Adebisi Shank bring a certain organized chaos to their live performances; while the music skips around often and its abrasive guitar tones can catch you off guard sometimes, there’s a degree of precision and slickness to the way they play their instruments that makes it really impressive. If you think you like experimental rock but haven’t heard or seen Adebisi Shank, you’re missing out. Judging by the big crowd they had as a show opener, it was apparent that a lot of people in the crowd knew all about them already, which is a testament to Sargent House’s devoted fan base.
Tera Melos were next in line on the bill, and thanks to a smart stage set up there was only a ten-minute or so break between bands. The noisy Sacramento experimental/math rock band had a longer set than Adebisi Shank, playing for nearly forty-five minutes. While personally, Tera Melos’ brand of challenging experimental math rock music isn’t normally my cup of musical tea, I have to hand it to them. Their songs switch tempos and sounds and tones every fifteen seconds or so, it seems, and yet somehow they’re all on the same page musically. That part is just astounding; I can’t imagine writing music like this, let alone practicing and playing it in concert.
Tera Melos
What may sound like chaotic guitar screeches and drum smashing is actually pretty damn intense and impressive. Nick Reinhart, Nathan Latona and John Clardy alternate between slick guitar-tapping, stop-start rhythms, and vocal improvisation in a way that you don’t see very often. Their latest full-length album, Patagonian Rats, released last September, is well worth your time; between all the challenging time signature changes and spastic guitar licks is a very innovative album that demands to be heard. Check them out if you haven’t already.
Last on the bill for the night were Le Butcherettes, a Mexican band whose debut full-length album, Sin Sin Sin, was produced by Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta (and who himself is a member of the Sargent House roster). The album, it should be noted, is one of the better releases of 2011 thus far; its combination of fuzzy garage rock and feisty punk spirit is flat-out irresistible. The band just completed a tour opening for Deftones and Dillinger Escape Plan, a trek that opened a lot of eyes and helped give them a considerable amount of buzz. That buzz brought me to the Troubadour to witness the live show, which was exactly as advertised: completely amazing.
Le Butcherettes
Teri Gender Bender, as she likes to be known, is an absolute dynamite performer. She pranced around the cramped stage with ease; while they were the “headlining” act last night, the drums were pulled over to the middle of the stage, giving the set up a close-knit, intimate feel. Teri slithered onto the stage wearing a blood-covered apron and sparkly red shoes not unlike those worn by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
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