Thursday’s show started slightly less than normal. Normal, at least, to Middle East downstairs and the meticulous work of Boston’s Illegally Blind. Walking through venue and a slightly smaller crowd, I spotted two rows of folding chairs propped in front of the room, with a small projection screen on the stage’s periphery. The setup was strange but I didn’t question it, not even when Terry Savalas took the stage.
As an outsider to Kojack, I watched in curiosity as comedian Tom Dimenna’s entered the spotlight to pay tribute to the television show’s biggest star. What followed was confusing, excessive and hilarious as Dimenna performed in the actor’s classy drawl, hitting a spoken word grab bag of eccentric topics to a background of cheesy acid jazz. Dimenna, or Savalas, was on stage long enough to mention the kids popping popcorn and xanny bars down by the Putt-Putt while still making one thing clear: Terry Savalas really is dead. So who was this living person? I’m still really not sure. But I can tell you he played killer opener to a show-stopping line-up and made twenty-five minutes purr like a kitten.
Then there was music. Milk, The Televibes, The Fagettes and Reigning Sound made for a night of noteworthy acts, each hitting a niche of exceptional rock and roll. Allston’s Milk took the stage and shocked the room in arguably the night’s loudest presentation of the genre. The band used their set to tear through much of Et in Arcadia, a 2014 release encompassing swelling, existential jams with the gritty affirmation of pounding instrumentals and one serious grip on talent. Though a young bunch, Milk played with the maturity of a group well beyond their years. Their cohesion on stage was almost mesmerizing, an audible trance turned aesthetic by the three folks in front of the stage mixing paint-splashed slides across projector screens. And it’s clear this trance held many, as those who braved an October nor’easter danced with “To Be” and the growing drop of “Seventh Avenue.”
Soon The Televibes jumped on stage. This three piece has an incredibly infectious sound, playing the kind of set that has you turning to a friend between songs to voice immediate fandom. Their brightly colored tunes have a garagey vibe, often employing quick tempos to get your toes tapping and keep them going for days. Their surfy genre may be a trendy one, but despite any notion of being a flash in the pan, The Televibes showcase an ability to craft catchy songs while still maintaining a sense of effortless. The band focused their set mainly on the tunes of their recent EP, Washed Up. This release’s title track was a personal favorite to see live, possibly from the tune’s work with frontman Charlie Northern’s sparkly pink guitar alone. Thursday’s show marked the bittersweet end Christian Hanz’s time with the band. After three years this tenacious drummer is leaving his project to pursue work in film, and for that we wish him the best. As for The Televibes, they better find a replacement quick. We need the jams to keep coming.
The music rolled on as The Fagettes took the stage. A striking name with a sound to match, one largely inspired by garage rock melodies and the 1960’s youth revolution. The Fagettes make for the perfect soundtrack for an upcoming sock hop or beach party, a sugary cocktail of pop melodies, surfy guitars and cheeky snare drum tempos. That, and a welcome mix of vocals from saxophonist Melanie Bernier and frontman Ryan Major. As one of the night’s largest acts, it was truly a joy to see this band in raucous motion. It seemed each member worked in their own jam while running from tune to tune. This isolation was happily swapped with camaraderie when Bernier banged out percussion alongside standup drummer Peaches Goodrich, while Nice Guys‘ Jake Gilbertson and Matt Garlick thumped along on bass and and guitar. Bernier raced back to spotlight once “Water, Tea, Alchohol” was underway, to sing and jam along on her own snare for band’s final and rockiest tune.
Noteworthy headliners Reigning Sound capped the night, working late into Thursday evening to promote the work of their recent release, Shattered, the band’s first album for Merge Records and the first full LP since 2009’s Love and Curses. With their label extending the caliber of Ex Hex, William Tyler and even Neutral Milk Hotel, this band has a lot to live up to. But the five-piece does. From recordings to stage, this outfit takes a masterful stance on classic American music through a revolving door of heavy-hitters and more downtempo tunes. Contrasting the night’s flashier acts, Reigning Sound worked their way into showgoer’ss hearts through subtle confidence and and steady, skillful focus. The outfit’s recent single, “Never Coming Home” was a true gem of the night, a slow moving shimmer frontman Greg Cartwright sang with blue collar weariness. This band has no gimmick, no schtick or showboat tendencies, choosing instead to work of the reputation of Cartwright’s longstanding resume. The frontman’s musical mark stretches back as far as the ’80s, including his time fronting The Oblivians, a Memphis garage punk trio popular to the mid-90’s rock scene.
With Reigning Sound, Cartwright’s riffs were cleaner and more sparingly applied than the work of his past, but still packed a driving punch through the tasteful dynamic of his current lineup. Warm organs, driving bass lines and uncompromising guitars played backdrop for the Cartwright’s husky sentiments, a breadth of lyrics that tended towards the subtlety of our everyday than anything too shocking or colorful. Though focusing on the mundane, his vocals remained vibrant, especially through the bands more uptempo numbers like “My My.” Both vocally and melodically, the band took on a Van Morrison-esque stance on things here, reflecting the night’s take on1960’s garage rock. When their set finished the band left the stage as subtly as they’d entered, thanking the venue before calling it quits for the evening. Fourteen years into their career, Reigning Sound show no signs of stopping. For that we applaud them, and with a holler, call for an encore.
