By Brad Krohe
Finding a strange scene at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence is nothing out of the ordinary. Last night's weirdness, then, was unremarkable -- at least, it would have been, if Turbo Fruits hadn't ripped up a set of rock and roll fever later in the night. More on that later. First, let's set the stage: Total Recall was playing on both TV sets. Neon lighting -- coupled with the performances of The Dactyls, Mini Mansions, and Turbo Fruits -- made the venue seem like it was a lost portal into the the early '90s Schwarzenegger flick.
Local rockers the Dactyls kicked off the evening with an amiable 40 minute set. (In another '90s reference, the band's cascading sound carried shades of the godfathers of grunge band, Screaming Trees.) The quartet had plenty to say as far as fret shimmying and whammy squealing. The band let its guitars speak their piece, and cleared the stage.
Mini Mansions consists of Zach Dawes on bass, Tyler Parkford on keys and vocals, and Queens of The Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman on drums, guitar, and vocals. The trio brought pop songs with cabaret chords and peppy keys, scattered liberally with terrific breakdowns. For only three people, they had a very full sound (no doubt in part to the dual vocals). One of the strongest songs was "Monk," the A-side of their new 7-inch. The band followed with the record's B-side, which is a very excellent rendition of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" that was slowed down, stretched out, pulled apart, and pieced back together to give it a creepy, foreboding vibe.
Upon taking the stage, Turbo Fruits' slightly inebriated Jonas Stein asked the crowd, "Who are we?" Scattered audience members answered him, Turbo Fruits. "You're goddamned right," he cracked, before throwing the band into overdrive. The frenetic rager "Colt. 45" was the band's first tune of the night. The fun no-brainer "Volcano" followed, which was a signature track that, like its namesake, builds and erupts.
The set dripped with cheeky attitude and boasted some very tenacious guitar riffs. Crashing drums and free-wheeling bass made significant contribution to the band's dynamite sound. (Noting the number of the audience, Stein vowed that they would be back soon-when school is in session.)
Before calling it a night, the rockers performed the titular track off of their latest EP, "Get Up Get on Down," an addictive, frisky, hip-shaker of a tune. The show's final number featured a Hendrix-style fade out and heavy comeback. It brought the sweaty energy in the Replay to a simmer, cooling off for a brief moment before cranking the gas. In a fitting punch of serendipitous timing, the tune climaxed just as Total Recall did. After all, there was no better way to kill Turbo Fruits' set than serving as a frenzied soundtrack to the cheesy bombast of Arnold, blasting his way through human shields.
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