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Review Sun Oct 25 2015
Review & Photos: Joanna Gruesome @ Schubas
It wasn't surprising that six-piece headliners Joanna Gruesome possessed a kind of frantic energy in the first night of their tour. What was much more astonishing was how tight they were considering this. The band has also had a couple of lineup changes in their relatively short time together but seems to be stronger than ever in both their sound and stage presence. The fact that none of them rammed into one another on stage was a feat in and of itself!
Genre-wise, Joanna Gruesome's sound is another enigmatic. They would probably be considered more punk if they weren't so twee and more twee if they weren't so punk. At times, they even had some hardcore elements with screaming vocals but the melodies always shined through. Not a dull second in their fast and furious 45-minute set!
Hollow Mountain opened the night with a straight ahead almost classic rock sound. The three piece packed a nice punch, though, and instead of any guitar pedals, it was the vocals of Esther Kim that made it more interesting to hear as often it's a male singer that accompanies a trio like this. Bonus points to the Logan Square based band for referencing Dark Crystal and The Wizard of Oz
King of Cats was a bit looser in comparison, though admittedly this was the first night of the tour and lead singer Max Levy expressed he had jet lag as well. He hails (at least originally) from Oxford and one might look amongst overgrown gardens, carparks, and microwave ovens if you wanted to get in touch with him. He also likes ice and working out, though not at a gym. Levy's vocals are the most unique trait of the music. It's not too unlike a male Joanna Newsom or just a more extreme version of John Darnielle. The anguished swoops and swoons definitely seemed to speak to an underlying feeling of vulnerability. Making it a little more engaging and a little less awkward, members of Joanna Gruesome served as Levy's backing band, adding keys, drums, bass, guitar and vocals.
Four-piece NYC-based Aye Nako contained nostalgic nods to fuzzy guitar driven alternative rock with a nice pairing of male and female vocals. The band talked about aliens and comics and sang songs about Coney Island, making their 40-minute set an engaging one!
