It was a perfect storm of buzz.
1. Yesterday, the esteemed professor Iain Ellis emailed me to ask if I'd heard of the Lawrence band Rooftop Vigilantes, saying, and I quote, "I've just been listening to some of the songs from their upcoming album Carrot Atlas ... fookin' brilliant!" High commendation, that.
2.The same day, the influential indie blog Stereogum posted this, the blog's second entry on the band from our neighboring hipster community.
3. That same night, the band was playing at the Record Bar. And what did I do, my friends? I went. This happened:
Photographic wonderment by Steve Tulipana
Rock and roll, buddy!
However, the rock didn't get started until well past midnight. I arrived around 11:30, just after Hospital Ships (another local Stereogum favorite -- look for our review next week) got done. It was a good 45 minutes before Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk -- whom we've covered before -- finished setting up and then ran through a set so unremarkable and full of interruptions it seemed like a half-assed practice session. I don't know what to say. They didn't give me much material to work with. There was some droning guitar noise, some rapid drumming, some compressed-sounding, indiscernible singing from the drummer/vocalist. That's about it. Maybe they thought that because only a dozen or so people had come out, they didn't have to put forth actual effort. Or maybe they're intentionally working a so-slacker-we're-nearly-unconscious vibe. Or maybe they hate Kansas City. I don't know. Being acquainted a couple of the guys in the band, I expected a bit more. As a friend of mine would say, "There is no truth in this performance. These men are cowards."
Then the Vigilantes came and saved the day. Surprisingly, almost, Baby Birds' drummer-singer, a chap who goes by the name Oscar/Allen, is the frontman of RV. In other words, he turns a complete 180 from BBDDM's shoegaze m.o. and becomes totally awesome and fun, smiling and bouncing around like a young, punk-rock Paul McCartney, switching off guitar and bass (character: fuzzy, strummed) with his co-frontman, whose name I don't know. In fact, what's so appealing about the RVs' music is that it sounds rooted in the bright, catchy, melody-driven pop of the '60s British Invasion but is faster and far more ragged (thus avoiding bubblegum territory).
I recognized the big red keyboard used by the lone female Vigilante as having been used by the lone female in Oscar's previous band The Girl Is a Ghost. The machine was put to great use playing the hook of the band's final number, a tweaked-up cover of the Replacements classic "Can't Hardly Wait."
Twice during the set, two sorrority-lookin' dames in matching white sweaters, blue jeans and high-heeled boots got up and danced gleefully, Coors Light bottles in hand, to the Vigilantes merry musicmaking. And that was nothing but a good sign for this band. If your band can make the ladies dance, boy, you're onto something. Mitch Rich was so inspired that he made this shirt about it.
Carrot Atlas is out now via WoodenMan Records. Following tonight's gig at the Replay, the Vigilantes are going on a massive nationwide tour. May they suffer neither van breakdowns nor inner-band tension and make all the girls dance.
AND SO IT WAS.
Epilogue:
Steve Tulipana's Six Alternate Versions of the Name "Rooftop Vigilantes"
1. Rooftop Veggies
2. Roofie Vigil
3. Ruffian Vaginas
4. Mr. Roper's Vendetta
5. Rich's Vindiction
6. Ropin' Varantulas
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