A Few Good Bands

Friday night in the Cameron House backroom, a small venue with fake grape vines draped over a trellis of metal pipes, 2 bands had their CD release party. Unlike a previous evening of same-old sounds, there were some great discoveries tonight.

First up was The DoneFors, the only one on the bill without a new CD, although they are working on their 3rd album. Their eclectic style veered between Latin-inflected grooves, folk, and peppy pop. All their songs had complex poly-rhythm from drums, bass, and guitar, 2 or 3 part harmony, and long story-telling lyrics. It was catchy, jazzy, but cerebral music.

With just their guitar and upright bass, Taylor Ashton (Fish and Bird) and Zoe Guigueno (Joy Kills Sorrow) as Bull Kelp had quieter songs. But they were even more experimental. Over the standard pop song structure, they riffed complex chords, melodies, and bass lines. Their songs strayed from typical tunes, often eschewing rhyme and simple verse/refrain. Guigueno's were usually more image-heavy and impressionistic while Ashton's held more narrative; it was a good balance. But they can do more mainstream, ending the night with Deep Fry, a rocking number about urban life, and a sing-a-long cover of Killer Queen.

The Jessica Stuart Few's front-woman is known for her odd choice of instrument, a Japanese 13-string instrument known as the koto. Not the usual thing you find in a pop band. But she only played it on a handful of songs. Good thing too because outside of the sunny Don't Ya, her kalimba-esque playing didn't add much. Only once in a while was there an interesting arpeggio or pitch bend that drew the ear. She was much more vital on her guitar, with driving riffs and chords. Funnily enough, for an evening of unusual arrangements from all bands, she was at her best and in her element on more straightforward power pop tunes like So Long and Don't Live Just For The Week-end.

As an aside, The Donefors wryly noted that their next album will be called Lush Life Below The Poverty Line, a situation familiar to many musicians. Well, since I kept a curious eye on the merch and admission table for the night, I have a few ideas why that might be.