Something Like Sound

If Saturday got me down, Sunday got me back up again. Although the clouds hung low in the sky and menaced us throughout the afternoon, the tired, hungover patrons (and bands) of the Underground Music Showcase refused to let it dictate how the day was going to go.

Upon arrival Jake and I headed down to TS Board Shop for The Pseudo Dates, a great upbeat group. Their set can best be described as a lively combination of punk, surf, and a touch of 80′s pop. It certainly put a smile on my face (both with their music and singer/bassist Suzi Allegra’s punk-rock sense of fashion).

From there I decided we had to see Hawks of Paradise. I had seen this group open for Akron/Family on St. Pattie’s day, and remembered it as a pretty good set. Well, their set at the UMS was definitely memorable (musically, their brand of rock music played well with the upbeat attitude I was forming). What came as a bit of a surprise was the end of their set, when they announced, rather nonchalantly, that the preceding songs were their last… ever.
Edit: I read on Reverb this morning that they might not actually be breaking up, way to go guys.

Jake missed the Houses set at the Hi-Dive on Friday night, so we stuck around the C*****s outdoor stage (that’s right, I’m independent, none of this sponsor-toting crap until I see some dollars rolling my way from you Cartoys). What I said about their Friday set can pretty much be applied to their Sunday set (especially since they were very similar, both were quite enjoyable and had fairly well sized crowd attendances).

1090 Club

Achille Lauro

We stayed a little longer at the outdoor stage to see friends-to-the-blog, 1090 Club. Their set was solid, but I felt a little bad because the crowd really thinned out (next time, Denver, next time support this band). Although I soon found myself walking over to catch Achille Lauro. I must say, they have a unique way of doing things: half the time they’ve got their synths and patches going, the other times they’re playing like a traditional 4-piece. Taken as a whole, I was definitely not bored, and had to stay on my toes to keep up with what was happening next.

After a quick stop by Persian Gourmet for some delicious falafel (my new favorite food; take note everyone who wants to buy me dinner), it was back to the main stage for what was shaping up to be an incredible set from Everything Absent or Distorted. Although this was another band that I had seen earlier in the festival, that certainly did not take any of the thunder out of their set.

Armed with a healthy variety of instruments (3 guitars, 1 bass, 1 accordion, 1 banjo, 1 drum-kit, 1 trombone, 2 keyboards, and various other random noisemakers), EAOD played one of the most ruckus sets I have ever seen; perhaps the word that best describes it: swashbuckling. A whiskey-fueled frenzy of energetic sound, EAOD did not go quietly into the night. As they finished their set, they decided to play another song, a cover of The National’s “Abel,” a fitting temporary closing (until they officially call it good in November).

“My mind’s not right”

-The National

At this point I was truly tired. The combination of my fatigue and the incredible set from EAOD had me convinced that it would be best to end  on a high note. Stay tuned for a proper “Reflections on the UMS” post, complete with suggestions for next year’s festival.