speed of dark

Usually when Indie Mom and I go to a concert, we split up the writing between us. Since I went by myself to last Friday's concert at the Glass House in Pomona, I get all the duties, so it's taking me a few days to get through.

To me, the Rosebuds' work sounds a lot like some of the 80's groups we used to listen to, like Flock of Seagulls or ABC. "Get Up Get Out" is such a disco throwback, which is why it's my least favorite. I'm not saying this is bad; it just isn't music I've found myself longing to return to.

I crammed like a college student for a final exam on the drive to the show, listening to the dozen or so Rosebud tracks that I already had. It worked, because I was able to recognize most of the songs in the set in spite of not being terribly familiar with their albums.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that, although I didn't change my mind about the 80's sound, I like the Rosebuds better in concert than from their recorded music. Part of that was the fact that the small venue allowed the charming personalities of Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard to come to the forefront. Southern good grace runs thick with these two.

They started off with a song that I like a lot, "My Punishment For Fighting." Among the next songs were "Cemetery Lawn," "When the Lights Went Dim," "Get Up Get Out," "Hold Hands and Fight," "Leaves Do Fall," and "Back To Boston."

(click image for full size):

Then Kelly and Ivan wanted to do an acoustic version of "Shake Our Tree," but they couldn't be heard from the stage. "What if," Kelly suggested, "we came down there with you?" Certainly, no one objected to that, so she and Ivan came down from the stage, and the crowd surrounded them as they sang, Ivan on guitar and Kelly clapping her hands. It was like being at someone's backyard singalong. I hope no one here is in the witness protection program.



They ended the evening back onstage with a strong version of the title song from their new CD, "Night of the Furies," another song I like a lot.

I was fortunate to buy one of the few remaining copies of their tour CD, which contains a "demo evolution" of "Night of the Furies." In this 13-minute track, Ivan recounts in his soft southern drawl how the song evolved from a stray melody through several different versions to get to the final "big sound" track on the current album. If they make some more of these tour CDs, you want one.

Those tour CDs, by the way, are each hand-decorated and signed by Kelly. I saw five completely different designs, and they were all beautiful.

My Punishment For Fighting
from Night of the Furies (2007)
When the Lights Went Dim (J-Yu Remix)
from 2007 Tour CD
I Better Run (Jimmy B Remix)
From 2007 Tour CD

MySpace | Website | iTunes | Amazon

Shows:
Jun 20 2007 - THE PARISH, Austin, TX
Jun 21 2007 - Chelsea Cafe', Baton Rouge, LA
Jun 22 2007 - THE BOTTLE TREE, Birmingham, AL
Jun 23 2007 - THE EARL, Atlanta, GA

See also: Land of Talk at the Glass House
Tomorrow: the opening act for this concert, Phoenix and the Turtle