by There was an incredible vibe at Louie G’s on Black Friday. There was a sense of connection…of good food, good people, good music…all coming together at once, like lightning in a bottle. Louie did an absolutely amazing job of putting together a fundraiser for local lighting tech Robert James Peters, who recently lost nearly everything in a tragic house fire. There is always a sense of community at Louie G’s, Louie wouldn’t have it any other way. But sometimes, you get some particularly magical moments, and everyone came together to make magic on Black Friday 2015, and it was anything but black.
Odd Logic opened the show with a bang. Their set of new material absolutely slayed, and certainly played to a packed house. The new lineup with rhythm section of Mike Lee (bass) and Pete Hanson (drums) is just top notch, and they gelling together as if they’ve already been playing together for years. My only complaint is that I would have liked to have seen some older material finally given the live treatment, but it was well worth it to see Odd Logic play to a completely full house for their very first show. Watch for the new album by the most promising prog-rock band in Seattle (if not the entire country) to be released soon.
Odd Logic was followed by a post-psychedelic band Melodramus. Their blend of groove rock and psychedelia brought back memories of a harder edged “Sky Cries Mary” and they truly show promise. At times straight-forward, and at times contemplative, their unique blend of styles does a good job at taking their prog-rock influences and bringing them into a tight focus. The front man Zakkary Hale is particularly good. Showing amazing confidence and showmanship, and the vocal harmonies with keyboardist/guitarist Sierra Rae are absolutely haunting to say the least.
The third band was the more straight forward out of the bunch. While the other bands on the ticket offered a more progressive approach, Devils Hunt Me Down had more of a Tad or Stompbox angle. Almost a ZZ Top on a punk rock AC/DC steroid. It was a really nice break from the more abstract approach of the other bands. Their brand of sleazy, drop tuned, upbeat stoner rock had everyone on their feet stomping and dancing with their fists in the air. I heard one person say it was like Pantera meets Barenaked Ladies, and I think that tag fits. Extremely heavy, but still happy and easy to stomp along to.
But things got turned up a notch when instrumental band and headliner The Purpose Being took the stage. The first song started with some vocalizations and spoken word parts, which set the atmosphere perfectly for the remainder of the set. Chris Japhet (bass) in particular was the star of the show. His jazzy form of fret play was a schooling for nearly everyone in the crowd. The way this band has the ability to take us through acrobatic grooves, taking you to the heights of headbanging bliss, and then drop you back down to an atmospheric canvas that guitarist Nick Friedli could paint like Bob Ross, is nothing short of incredible. They had the entire audience eating out of the palm of their hand. I don’t often listen to just straight up instrumental bands, I can only think of one or two exceptions. But I would listen to these guys.
By the end of the night, there was nothing but extreme positivity in the air. It’s like all the bands all knew that their music complimented each other perfectly, without feeling like they were so alike that they were in competition with one another. It truly felt like the audience found four incredible local bands….and four incredible local bands found each other.
