Spotty though these reviews may be, I still take try to take each chance I’m granted to make it out to Radio Rubber Room’s biweekly Wednesday show at Emilio’s Downtown. I’ve sort of just learned to accept those king bitch hell Thursday mornings at work.
Spotty though these reviews may be, I still take try to take each chance I’m granted to make it out to Radio Rubber Room’s biweekly Wednesday show at Emilio’s Downtown. I’ve sort of just learned to accept those king bitch hell Thursday mornings at work. So here’s looking back at the last two shows.
Photo by Hunter Noxon
On October 22, Big Fifty & Motel Fire graced the Emilio’s stage. Motel Fire (formerly Goldtooth) were up first. They were super gritty, bent out, whimsical rock with raw plucking guitars and inventive, negative space drumming. I was pretty keen on these guys. A good three piece rock band is always going to depend on a weird, unique dynamic and presence, which I felt from them. Check out their facebook and bandcamp for sweet action.
Photo by Joey Wharton
Big Fifty finished out that night. My old roommate and friend, bassist Brian Riley (Spider Hands, they call him), had been telling me about this new project he was in, and I’m glad I finally made it out to a show. Big Fifty takes the true soul of southern rock and smashes it into the raw but technically befuddling sound Zeppelin created. I always like referring to a band’s self-assigned facebook “genre” description, if it’s worth mentioning – they can be pretty funny sometimes. Big Fifty’s genre is “Rock N Fuckin Roll”, and that they are.
Photo by Craig Zirpolo
Snap forward a few weeks to November 5, which began with solo artist Lucy Dacus, followed by Chelsea Temple and her band of resident badasses. I really enjoyed Lucy Dacus, and for whatever reason, she compelled me to start listing adjectives that came to mind in a word association fashion. I ended up with a jumble of words: lonely; nighttime; home; fireplace; comfort; rattling; cascade; right; honest; honorable; humility; sorry/happy; and then Nick Drake. As with most singers that I take a liking to, I will commend their ability to sound sincere and natural, in regards to their actual voice. I feel like the best vocalists don’t have to strain too hard to express themselves in song. She’s believable, hence the words “honest” and “right.”
Chelsea Temple’s all-star lineup, featuring Russell Lacy, Gabe Santamaria, Josh McCormick, and Ben White, was a real humdinger. A nice refined, classy funk/soul project is almost foolproof. I’ve always had an open ear for Russ Lacy’s guitar work; I respect the way he naturally incorporates rhythm and lead at the same time, as opposed to the default, mindless, high-register noodling that I tend to hear more often. I also made note of some badass slow, discordant jazz key solos from Ben White.
[Due to unfortunate circumstances, we didn’t get this article posted in time for last night’s Radio Rubber Room show, but here are Dan’s preliminary thoughts on the subject, and hopefully we’ll have a full report from him soon.-ed]
I am ridiculously aroused for this Wednesday, November 19 at Emilio’s Downtown. Two of my favorite rock bands in Richmond, Lightfields and Imaginary Sons, are playing together. I am also in love with several members of Imaginary Sons, so I will try to report as objectively as possible. Imaginary Sons have been in hardcore creative mode lately, pumping out new songs. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store.
