The Wild Hunt

Coinciding with no-cover New Music Night at the Horseshoe Tavern, Hands & Teeth had their CD release party Tuesday. I came too late for opening band Sidney York from Vancouver. Sometimes the management is actually a stickler for schedules. The one song I heard was intriguing; not only do the 3 female leads of the 5-piece band sing, they also play bassoon, oboe, and flute! What unusual instruments for a pop band.

Army Girls was up next. The drum-and-guitar duo does mostly up-tempo rock with singer/guitarist Carmen Elle hopping and twitching across the stage. Her tendency to drop or throw her water bottle between songs was a source of amusement for the crowd, since rockers who do so typically use more potent potables.

Hands & Teeth was the head-liner at 11:00 pm. Their brand of pop had some strange arrangements but stayed solidly  within the standard pop structure, making it an easy sell to the audience. Their strength was their singing, most songs not only had 4 part harmonies but also several singers exchanging lyrics. Their good looks didn't hurt either: the women had their eye on the attractive male leads, and the men couldn't help glancing often at the blonde bombshell singer. Their set ended with Hunting Season, which is also the name of their LP, a great pop song with lots of hooks and choruses for sing-a-longs.