By Jesse Banion
Mother Nature tried in vain to ruin the patio show at the Riot Room on Friday. But our local heroes prevailed.
Up first was
Ghosty, performing these days as a three-piece, with frontman Andrew Connor joined by Mike Nolte on bass and Bill Belzer on drums. The pared-down setup is reflected in the band's sound these days. The songs are more condensed and straightforward but still retain the unassumingly infectious hooks that Ghosty has always been so expert at producing. The band played about 12 songs, nearly all of which were new and that they plan to record in the near future. It's Ghosty with a little more rock to it. I'm looking forward to hearing that recording.
Minden got the brunt of the bad weather. Everybody scattered to the covered areas, but the band played on. They're working with two gorgeous hollow-body electric guitars up there, which I love seeing. I don't know the names of any of their songs except for the excellent "Swift Way On," which they're putting out soon as part of a 7-inch and they closed their set with.
By the time Be/Non came on, the drinks were flowing, the crowd
was hitting its stride, and the rain was letting up. The party atmosphere fit the band perfectly. I wasn't alive in the 1970s, but I feel comfortable saying that Be/Non creates an atmosphere that's stinking close to what it was like. They've taken the best parts of the
decade -- the glam, spacey, underground side -- and mashed it all together, updated it, and made
their own unique sound from it. They rock, and they're clearly having a blast. It's inspiring to watch.
The show was over by midnight. We left soaked but thankful.
