Pianos is an interesting space. Sometimes its loud acoustics, small room, and not-quite Brooklyn crowd conspire to stifle the spirit of even the brightest young bands. Sometimes, with the right crowd, a band can overcome all of these factors and put on an amazing, intimate show. It’s strange how easily the mood of the space is transformed depending on the night. Free Energy was an especially interesting band to see at Pianos. They already straddle the line between hipster and bro with their South Philly grungy style and 80s-inspired swooping guitars. If anything, the performance made it clear that this is a band with enormous commercial potential. The sizable crowd at Pianos sang along to nearly all of their songs. Musically talented enough to be accepted by at least some critics and bloggers, but appealing enough to sell pop records, with a few tweaks I could see these guys really making it big. First, the front man needs to give just a little more. If you’re going to be a singer and not play any instruments, it really needs to be a performance. Also, the band could do a little more with their guitar solos. They’re not doing anything groundbreaking, but they sure are a lot of fun to dance and sing along to.
Eastern Midwestern wasn’t what I was expecting. I’d listened to their songs on their MySpace, and frankly thought that they were cringe-worthy. Trite melodies with trite guitar lines, rehashing 2000s rock like The Walkmen and White Rabbits without doing it well. Live, they were much better than anticipated. The band has absolutely stunning vocal harmonies, and the lead singer can really sing. Their songs still need a lot of developing, and the drummer’s style, despite his apparent talent, didn’t fit with the rest of the band. As for pow wow!, their new line up still needs some practicin’, but they’ll be totally rocking their laid-back, ramshackle tunes in top-form in no time.
pow wow!:
Eastern Midwestern:
Free Energy:
