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Concert Fri Jul 17 2009
Review: The Entrance Band @ The Hideout 7/16/09
In anticipation of witnessing The Entrance Band's blend of psych-rock and blues firsthand, I've listened to their most recent release, 2006's Prayer of Death, more times this week than I can count on both hands. I've repeatedly listened to the title track more than could possibly be considered healthy. As they stand on the brink of releasing their Ecstatic Peace! debut, I was no less than stunned while watching them topple The Hideout tonight. They were an absolute storm in an intimate room; equal parts earthquake and tornado.
Prior to The Entrance Band taking the stage, the night began with a performance by Chicago-based Follows. Follows create an echoey, quasi-chamber atmosphere; slowly constructing sonic walls until a droning crescendo is reached, and the walls defeat themselves. Formed in 2008, and featuring former members of Electraleane, Atombombpocketknife and Russian Circles, Follows show a great deal of promise. I look forward to watching their evolution.
The Entrance Band went on around 11 p.m. What can be said about the musical prowess of this trio? Guy Blakeslee's guitar playing is unparalleled; his wailing vocals penetrating. The rhythm section of bassist Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Zwan) and drummer Derek W. James is extraordinary. Transfixed as I was by Blakeslee, I could not take my eyes off of Lenchantin; the control she held over her instrument, and the lack of restraint she allowed her body was electrifying.
The Entrance Band are the embodiment of catharsis. It is the inescapable, and single constant element in their music. Live, this catharsis is enhanced. The songs become that much more unbridled; dancing wildly around the notion of death, and the emphatic light it shines on life. Accentuated tonight in the songs "Pretty Baby" and the set-closing "Grim Reaper Blues," their fusing of free-spiritedness and precision is that which sets the mind and body ablaze.
