October 10, 2005

Weekend Continued...

I did get out once again on Saturday night after a good long nap. I headed up to Williamsburg around 9 to see Sons & Daughters play at North Six. Of course by this time it was raining quite heavily and I was completely and utterly soaked by the time I got to the show.

Fortunately for me the show was great and well worth the effort to get there. I knew what to expect from Sons & Daughters, but I was totally impressed by The Rosebuds. This North Carolina duo of Kelly and Ivan Rosebud - Keyboards and guitar respectively were joined by a local drummer and delivered an amazingly powerful set based almost entirely on their latest release Birds Make Good Neighbors. I knew absolutely nothing about them going in - apart from checking out a few songs on their myspace site (I tell you, this internet thing has really made checking out bands pretty easy) - but I was totally won over by their stage presence and performance. I would recommend checking them out live if you can.

Sons & Daughters took the stage around 11:30 with one of my favorite songs from The Repulsion Box, "Monster". Unfortunately, the momentum of the show was momentarily stalled because some problems with the bass amplifier. After a few minutes, however, they were back to full force (although bassist Ailidh Lennon spiraled into a venomous sulky mood that lasted most of the show).

Despite problems with equipment and attitude, a healthy amount of interest and energy came off the stage in the form of guitarist/singer Scott Paterson (who is certainly in contention for the most intense and unsettling stare in Rock 'n Roll), drummer David Gow and singer/guitarist/keyboardist Adele Bethel. Who cares if she dances like Elaine Benis? Her powerful vocals and smouldering dark looks entranced everyone in the front row.

This is my second time seeing them live and as often as they keep coming around I will continue to go see them. Their performances are intense and captivating and there is a scary focus in Paterson's stage presence that is both balanced and challenged by Bethel. She is alternately flirtatous and predatory - casting powerful glances across stage that carried unknowable messages.

* Some of the songs performed: "Medicine", "Blood", "Checked", "Johnny Cash", "Dance Me In", "Start to End", "Regally Used", "Gone" and "Rama Lama". Now I'm really hooked... I've been playing their cds non-stop since Sunday morning.