A few days ago – of course, where else but on twitter – I came across Jambase’s review of local pop progsters Big Rock Candy Mountain’s debut album Hey Kid. Previously, in Offbeat magazine I too bestowed similar praise upon the group (so I’m pretty high on them), but I had yet to see them live since their performance at the New Orleans Indie Rock Fest several months earlier. That was until a few weeks ago when I caught Big Rock (@brcm for the tweeps out there) alongside fellow Nola indie favorites Rotary Downs at d.b.a. Surprisingly, when I got to the Frenchman St. watering hole, which typically plays host to the jazz/funk/blues crowd, a sizable crew had already amassed within the venue. After scoring a beer, I squeezed into the front corner of the room and waited for the band to take the stage. A large part of me didn’t know what to expect. Anxious, my mind drifted. I wondered if BRCM could match the raucous histrionics of their album in concert.

Moments later, I, along with a slew of other people, welcomed the ringing explosions and mounting rattle of the aptly titled “Fire Song” and the monstrous rocker “T2.” I was immediately impressed by how much BRCM had improved since I’d last encountered them. Their sound was sharp and concussive – more intense, focused and rambunctious that I ever would have predicted. Songs like “Rocket Ship” and “Lover” crammed the perverse delirium and glorious bombast of classic prog rock into the swirling spirals and sinuous pulse of choice new wave. As my friend Alex told me, “It’s nice to see a prog rock band that still remembers to rock.” And rock they did – perhaps none harder than singer/keyboardist Michael Girardot, who jumped into the crowed during the unhinged chaos of “Hey Kid.” At one point, Glasgow’s Sam Craft hopped onto the stage with the band and supplemented the nightmarish chorus of “Back Away.” How’s that for a surprise guest?! By the time Big Rock rolled into fan-favorite “Bang Bang,” hysteria abounded.

After a short break, Rotary Downs took the stage for what would unfold into an epic two set show. But that’s New Orleans for you… even the indie bands wail deep into the wee hours of the morning. Over the past seven years, RD has paved the way for the emerging indie scene here, garnering much deserved critical praise in the process. Two-time winners in the “Best Rock Band” category of the Big Easy Music Awards (2008, 2009), they’re arguably the most significant outfit of the post-Katriana era and easily one of the best underground bands in the country. Their jaggedly melodic, tunefully obtuse brand of alt-rock brings to mind the strained dissonance and resplendent eccentricity of late 90s Pavement – minus a bit of the buffoonery. This night they were firing on all cylinders. Guitarist Chris Colombo’s serrated riffs spun around singer James Marler’s raffish streams of consciousness, while drummer Zack Smith’s darting pulse and bassist Jason Rhein’s punchy grooves propelled the party. Keyboardist Girardot’s surging spirals topped of their dizzying cacophony. Highlights from the show included the streaking romp “Vulgar Ways,” the morose celebration “Big Parade,” the blurred reverie “Feast in Squalor,” the twisted grind “Djinni Stomp,” and the murderous maelstrom “Body of an Outlaw.” The bizarre, the berserk, and the surreal… they mix well don’t they!

CaptAbernathy
Remixing the Musical Landscape
Groovescapes 2009