Last Wednesday was rather refreshing; Radio Rubber Room presented two new bands at The Republic–by which I mean two bands that had never before played a Wednesday night. Hannah Marie and the Bearded Ladies loosened up the crowd for Vega Omega. It was an uncommon pairing, but variety is the spice of life, after all.
Last Wednesday was rather refreshing; Radio Rubber Room presented two new bands at The Republic–by which I mean two bands that had never before played a Wednesday night. Hannah Marie and the Bearded Ladies loosened up the crowd for Vega Omega. It was an uncommon pairing, but variety is the spice of life, after all.
Hannah Marie’s reputation may slightly precede her, as her project Cardinal Compass has received some well-deserved attention lately. The Bearded Ladies offer similarly refined, upbeat country smoothness that you might consider comfort music. It’s the type of music that can easily mold to the venue’s mood and energy.
As a musician, I’m usually pretty aware of another band’s confidence on stage; a loud-ass rock band attempting to sway a completely dead bar can get rather uncomfortable for all parties involved. Hannah Marie’s projects effectively skirt this issue by nature. She has a giant margin of comfort, and that’s one reason why I think she’ll be successful. Not to mention that she’s gorgeous, and she’s a fine guitarist with an airy, but forcefully on-point singing voice.
The Bearded Ladies consist of a mandolin, stand-up bass, and lead guitar – the player of which was immensely talented, and cracked me up with his completely stoic, expressionless face the entire set. For the most part, Hannah Marie and the Bearded Ladies stick to old country favorites from the likes of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Bill Monroe and others. Considering the project has only been in existence for a few months, I imagine we’ll be hearing some original tunes from the well-polished four-piece in the future.
Vega Omega was a bit of a different animal – their style crosses many genre boundaries, but on average their music keeps to a somewhat standard mix of jam/funk/jazz. The offsetting factor here is the lyrical impetus; front man Chris Jones has a tinge of Greg Graffin (Bad Religion) in his voice, with a bit less inflection than you might guess upon hearing the spritely nature of their music. Vega Omega also boasts a great lead guitarist, in the form of Ross Harvey.
As a band they seem quite practiced, with spot-on accents and pauses. They played an interesting array of covers, ranging from Grateful Dead to Blackstreet, both of which could be well-aided if they utilized some vocal harmony. All in all, Vega Omega is a solid band; it’s always a good sign if you can’t pin a band down upon first encounter. I’ll be checking them out next chance I get.
This Wednesday, Radio Rubber Room is kind enough to give us our beloved Northerners one more time, accompanied by electro-ambient rockers Floodwall. Another interesting pair, indeed.
I liked The Northerners the first time I saw them, even before they’d assembled their entire band. Now, I party with them frequently, and frankly I just like finding reasons to go hang out with them. So on Wednesday, I get to party with them and see them rock out. I encourage everyone to come party with myself and The Northerners. George “Dudepup” Gilliam and I are going to have a Guinness chugging contest. Be there, The Republic at 10pm.
Words by Dan Mulrooney
Images by Tyler M. Conta
