Last Wednesday at The Republic, Radio Rubber Room presented The Manifestivus and Thumper – two completely dissimilar acts which, it turned out, actually complemented each other rather well.
Last Wednesday at The Republic, Radio Rubber Room presented The Manifestivus and Thumper – two completely dissimilar acts which, it turned out, actually complemented each other rather well. Within The Manifestivus’ set, we got a taste of three separate acts. Lead man Bryce McClellan first gave us a taste of his solo material, from which I heard a great Jeff Buckley influence. McClellan’s carefully slow, crystal clear guitar and high-register vocals immediately bring Buckley to mind.
Manifestivus percussionist Isaac Friend then stepped to the mic with a few of his own solo songs; the well-structured nature of Friend’s songwriting bleeds through to his thoughtful drumming in The Manifestivus. At long last, the whole band took the stage. This is a band that relies on momentum and crescendo, and each instrument seems to clearly understand its role – pivotal moments in their set are marked by heavy rising, distorted discord.
McClellan, a natural frontman, doesn’t hesitate to disclose the largely drugged-out nature of his songs, and he curses a lot between them – which is usually pretty funny for the audience. The Manifestivus recently released their debut album Ethereal Delirium, and it’s definitely worth checking out.
Thumper, a veritable supergroup, closed out the evening. Over the past few months I’ve enjoyed hearing Thumper’s songs solidify, and this is happening pretty rapidly because of the amount of talent involved within the group. Tim Beavers’ trademark cackle-scratch scream and cryptic, dark lyrics set the familiar ominous, self-loathing tone that we still hear in PBR.
Neko Williams may be the perfect drummer for a three-piece like Thumper – if you asked Neko to play “in the pocket”, he’d probably tell you to fuck off. Brian Riley’s melodic, high-end bass work creates the cohesion needed in a group with minimal strings. I hope these guys go into the studio sometime soon. Thumper needs to be blasting throughout the streets of Richmond.
This Wednesday at the Republic, Radio Rubber Room presents The Northerners, who are gaining respect and popularity faster than nearly any new project I’ve seen in this city, and Brother Bill – my band, which I will proceed to shamelessly self-promote. The Northerners played their first live show at a RRR Republic Wednesday night, back in July. Since then, they’ve harnessed their sound and attracted some very talented musicians to join their band, rounding out the entire project. The Northerners inspire nostalgia through their music, which in my opinion is the apex of musical effort.
I’m not actually going to promote my own band in this article; I guess a brief description will suffice. Brother Bill is loud, gritty, harmonious punk and roll, and our folk influence ought to pair pretty nicely with that of The Northerners. Come out and see for yourself, though – tonight at The Republic, 2053 W. Broad St, 10pm.
Words by Dan Mulrooney
Images by Tyler M. Conta
