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| Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz |
Don't Lose Faith
I'll admit it. When I saw this show come across my Facebook feed a few months ago, I was incredulous. Since Asbury Lanes closed, we just don't get that many shows like this in our neck of the woods. There are certain types of bands that, frankly, don't have that many options when it comes to playing headlining shows in Asbury Park anymore. These are bands who have a large following but maybe not large enough to pack out The Stone Pony, bands who play a lot of all-ages shows. When I scanned down the announcement for this show and noticed that Wonder Bar would dispense with their 21+ policy for the evening, I knew this one could work.
And it worked. There was a line at the door when I arrived, and the place filled up quickly as Maryland's Two Inch Astronaut prepared to take the stage. The trio were impressive in the opening slot, delivering a combination of post-punk and 90s rock that was both discordant and melodic at times. Two Inch Astronaut's sound is a good match for tour mates Speedy Ortiz; and, as someone who'd never heard them before, I can say that they got the attention of at least one new listener, probably many more.
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| Two Inch Astronaut |
Sonically, Speedy Ortiz are right in that classic indie rock space -- Pavement, Liz Phair, Built To Spill -- that I love so much. Where they shine, though, is in Sadie Dupuis's lyrical content. Dupuis is not as inscrutable as Stephen Malkmus, not as in your face as Liz Phair. Just a subtly great songwriter.
I'd been revisiting Speedy Ortiz's recordings over the past week, and the live show more than lived up to my expectations. All of the noise and interesting musical choices were there; and Dupuis's vocals were right up front where they needed to be, not drowned out by the music.
There's a hint of darkness to Speedy Ortiz's material, but they're a fun live band, joking with each other and the crowd, Dupuis wearing sneakers with light-up soles. They certainly had the crowd going, especially during singles like "Raising The Skate" and "Tiger Tank."
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| Speedy Ortiz |
When the set was done, I could sense the geographically-inspired anticipation for Philly's Hop Along. People started pushing their way up front to claim a space close to the action. The band came out to some subdued (to say the least) lighting and opened with single "Waitress" from last year's Painted Shut. They hit all of the high points of that record, along with some older material, during the set.
Hop Along guitarist / vocalist Frances Quinlan has such a singular scream/rasp that a friend asked me if she were using an effect on her vocals. Everything is natural, but it exerts an effect on the audience. I scanned around to see people absolutely losing it, with good reason, to songs like "Horseshoe Crabs" and "Texas Funeral." They closed with a great version of the already great "Sister Cities."
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| Hop Along |
I headed home believing that maybe that space somewhere between local shows and the big shows at The Stone Pony / Summer Stage still had some life in Asbury Park. I'd just seen a band I may have otherwise missed along with two of my favorites from the last few years in a packed house. We can hope that means we'll see more stuff like this in the months to come.
And, hey. Look at that. The Saint just announced that Mitski will be playing there in June.
Pics of all three sets are in the Flickr galleries and on the Facebook page.
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