School of Language, with Riddle of Steel and OK Jones
Thursday, March 27
The Record Bar
Review by JASON HARPER
Photos by KEANON LIGGATT
Bird Illustration by JOHN JAMES AUDUBON
For the lead singer and guitarist in a challenging, sonically adventurous post-hardcore rock band, it must be more than deflating to be in the bathroom of a bar after playing a set and have a broseph in a crew cut tell you your band reminds him of Incubus. But for Riddle of Steel frontman Andrew Elstner, this is an opportunity to exhibit grace and class and extend welcome to a new (if not cultured) fan. "Oh, OK, yeah, thanks. I'll take that, as long as you dig it," Elstner said, simultaneously considering the source (i.e., fratboy) accepting his comment as a compliment, AND also making sure the guy wasn't making fun of him. Turned out, the fratteur loved Incubus and meant the remark kindly.
(By the way, it must also really SUCK when you go to start a MySpace account using your band name only to find that some random person somewhere has already registered the name. Imagine Riddle of Steel's chagrin when they attempted to reserve www.myspace.com/riddleofsteel only to find that "DMDemise" had already claimed it:
)
All beeswax aside, it was a boutique of chops last night at the Record Bar as Riddle of Chops played between OK Chops and School of Chops, the last of which I'd been excited about seeing since discovering Field (of Chops) Music over a year ago.
Fronted by David Brewis, who plays in Field Music with his brother Paul Brewis and keyboardist Andrew Moore, School is rounded out by two guys with huge reputations in Midwestern music circles: Doug McCombs of Tortoise on bass and drummer Ryan Rapsys of Euphone and Heroic Doses.
School's debut, Sea From Shore, is like Field Music but with less layering and a more stripped approach. The Brewis sound (both in Field and in School) has always made extensive use of vocal harmonies, to breathtaking effect. But live, with the current backing band, at least, School hasn't harmony one; Brewis' clear, boyish voice, tempered by a Northeast-English accent, had to make do on its own. The effect was that of a visiting singer-songwriter; one wondered why he wasn't playing simply under his own name. Dispelling any notion that the guy might be a studio cheater, Brewis' scrawny fingers curled over the frets of his red Gibson SG in bizarre chord configurations, probably adding lots of major 9ths and 11ths to the songs' sophisticated arrangements.
School's set was more cerebral than dynamic, relaxed and jaunty -- thinking 'n teadrinking pop. Brewis was chipper and chatty between numbers, introducing the songs, which, save a cover of Roxy Music's "If There Is Something," were all from Sea from Shore. Brewis' talent, combined with that of his temporary bandmates, capped off an evening that had been marked from the beginning by skillful musicianship.
Kansas City band OK Jones (which is led by Pitch contributor Richard Gintowt) is a multitasking three-piece that could play circles around just about any other indie rock act in town. Its drummer (Gintowt) sings, and its keyboard player (Nate Holt) not only plays the bassline on one keyboard with one hand the entire time, he plays three other keyboards with the other hand and looks relaxed as hell doing it. Previously a more-or-less alt-country band, Jones has evolved into a poppy, proggy soft-rock-sounding outfit with grooving backbeats, deftly shifting rhythms and intricate melodic instrumental lines. Sometimes the band seems too controlled, as if the Joneses were more concerned with playing the right notes than giving off the right feel and having fun. But the songs are constructed with the listener in mind, and each one pays off. I'll say no more. You should check them out. This band needs fans.
St. Louis' Riddle of Steel came up next, bringing the evening's loudest (arguably most Incubus-like) set. Also, a three-piece, Riddle is of the Midwestern school of post-hardcore, recognizable by its distorted, ringing-open-chord guitar; lighted drumset (cf. The Life and Times, Sirhan Sirhan); bright, edgy bass; and its white-feathered throat and turkeylike body reminiscent of its cousin, the American bittern:
Seriously, though, Riddle sounded good and not at all like Incubus. Check out this track, from the band's latest, 1985, out now on Ascetic Records.
Riddle of Steel: "Who's the Guy Owns This Shithole?" MP3
All in all, it was a satisfying if not totally electrifying evening that proved once again that actual talent and creative musicianship always trumps gimmickry and trend-mimickry -- even when it comes to impressing bohunks who listen to commercial radio.
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Hey please tell me that ROS didn't play this setlist:
1. Plenty of Satisfaction
2. Baby Bird
3. John Frum
4. Loose Talk
5. This Van Burns Love
6. Quiet Now
They've done that the last two times I've seen them. Thankfully they're an awesome band and 4/6 of those songs rank as the best work they've done. And I love Elstner's Boyd-esque voice.
incubus?
incubus?
oh man.
also myspace.com/hotdudesrockinout is pretty good for a name, no?
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