Damn Kids and Their Rock'n'Roll Music

The duo Hot Kid was releasing their EP "Courage To Fight" Friday night at the Garrison. It promised to be a night of noisy rock. First up was The oOohh Baby Gimme Mores, a 4-piece outfit that played a sort of noise-funk. The drummer and bassist kept the groove going while the guitarist and keyboardist brought the noise. They engaged the crowd by passing out glowing plastic fingers, miniature tambourines, and encouraging clapping and dancing. But the sloppiness of some songs and the excessive screaming (not entirely their fault - see later) detracted from the performance.

Army Girls was up next. Instead of wild gestures and rhythm, this duo was all about tight drumming and jangling chords. But some songs also had catchy licks that got heads bopping. The singer's strong vocals were marred by technical sound issues.

Horrible sound mix plagued both acts. High gain on the vocals meant that any singing louder than "normal" became piercing and unpleasant. Other times, the vocals would drop out completely or got quiet and tinny. The musical instruments didn't fare much better.

It would have been good to see Hot Kid perform again, but I left having endured enough of the "bad speakers" all night.