OUTSTANDING performances at Neumos
June 21st, Neumos was host to veterans rockers The Purrs, nearly newcomers Ivan & Alyosha and headliners Mono in VCF. Quite the lineup!
The Purrs (Jima - Bass, Lead Vocals, Craig Keller - Drums, Jason Milne - Guitars, Backup Vocals, Dr. Robert - Guitars, Backup Vocals) delivered nothing if not satisfying straight up indie/psych rock ‘n’ roll just like it should be with just ever so slight a hint of jaded sarcasm (especially when they asked that we buy their CD so they’d have gas money…). In November last year, they released their second album The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together as a follow up to their 2005 debut, The Dreams our Stuff is Made of. My favorite of the night was She’s Got Chemicals. Catchy little tune that.
They’ve been at this a while now (eight years!) and totally know what they’re doing, but it was easy to see that it is becoming a bit more work than the fun they want it to be. Still, they handled the audience with aplomb and gratitude. Nice work boys. For more info check them at: www.thepurrs.com and http://www.myspace.com/thepurrs.
Ivan & Alyosha is Tim Wilson & Ryan Carbarya, who together with four bandmates are a six-piece band onstage. Their band name is clearly taken from Dostoevky’s The Grand Inquisitor (The Brothers Karamazov). Sadly, I did not get to ask them why they chose this name because that might have been an interesting tidbit to know. Next time.
I&A debuted their Brit pop flavored rock/pop EP, The Verse, The Chorus, that evening and did a fine job of presenting the material and then some. Their music was at once deep and charming if that’s possible. They are fun to watch because they are so enthusiastic and incredibly happy to be onstage. They beamed. Proud though they were, it wasn’t without merit - no, in fact, they deserve kudos because the record is excellent. For more info check them out at: http://www.myspace.com/ivanandalyosha.
Last up was Mono in VCF - also debuting their newly released full-length, self-titled CD. When they contacted me about covering the show, they said they wanted it to be an ethereal set. It was indeed ethereal and nearly mystic. Gracing the stage were Kim Miller (vocals), Hunter Lea (guitar, synths, organs, vocals), Jordan Luckman (bass, vocals), and Jason Falk (drums) (and my apologies, but I think that was Scott Clarke on Moog.) The person missing from the stage this time was the beloved Martin Feveyear, Superman of the Soundboard and sometime member (usually on keyboards/Moog).
If you’ve ever witnessed MIVCF in concert you can see that they practice together for hours and hours and have that innate talent for timing without much cuing. Timing is everything (they say). In addition to delving into the deep mysteries of the album, they added a new tune, Gift Horse, to their rapidly expanding list of songs. Ever awash in haunting emotion, Kim Miller can also belt out a tune, namely The Poppy Family (Terry Jacks) cover, No Blood in Bone. Simply fabulous. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. You NEED this album, not just so you have another CD in your collection, but there are times when nothing else will do. Check out this band at: www.monoinvcf.com and www.myspace.com/monoinvcf.
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Nice to meet you last night.. Any way you could email me some of the pics?
marcocollins@hotmail.com