Chaos Theory

Although there were some good performances, CMF was disappointing this year. So I was pleasantly surprised at a post-CMF concert at The Garrison Tuesday night. The 3 bands tonight provided engaging and fun performances.

Local band The Box Tiger came on at 9 pm. They have an interesting sound: harder than pop but a little too indie to be rock. Over a driving beat, Sonia Sturino sang with a sharp edge songs from their EP as well as newer numbers Set Fire To Your Friends, Hostile Fire, and Knives. With a loud sonic palette, and usually lacking audience-friendly hooks, it was hard for them to get traction with new listeners.

The Brooklyn-based sisters of Chaos Chaos have an instant hook, being tall and striking young women. It didn't hurt that Asya Saaverda picked up a fitted Toronto Maple Leafs jersey at a local thrift shop earlier in the day. But their fun, catchy music was instantly likeable. Asya sang a dancy pop with synth chords (My Hands, Follow Me, Across The Map) that sometimes descended into noisy effects. But what drove their sound was the younger Chloe on drums. Highly partial to wild syncopated drumming, she was a dynamo behind the kit. Impressively, unlike most drummers, she usually did not fall back to the simplified 4/4 bass beat on complex patterns. She came to the front stage once to play a metal hand drum with Asya for a cover of Tegan and Sara's Closer.

It was a respectable 50-60 people tonight, and they all came for Australian band San Cisco. Lead singer Jordi Davieson was appreciative as they had played "for about 15 people yesterday in Pittsburgh". The 4-piece returned the love by enthusiastically performing their sunny pop full of sweet, ringing chords and sing-a-long refrain backed by drummer Scarlett Steven's surf-rock/skitter percussion. The crowd sang along to most songs from their EP and debut album (Girls Do Cry, Reckless, Toast, Rocket Ship, and break-out hit Awkward). To insistent chants for an encore, Jordie had to come back on stage and sheepishly admit to friendly laughter that they are "out of songs, but we can have a beer".