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Contributed Reviews Reviews Archive |
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Egomaniacs, El Fontain, and Onward Crispin Glover
Review by Mark Cuthbertson Everything that makes a band a “veteran band” was evident in all three of these. A veteran band has its own sound, is experienced, and plays together with a tightness which can only come from years of playing and carefully listening to each other. The list of former bands and side projects among these musicians is impressive, among them: Truck Stop Love, Lushbox, TV 50, Exit 159, Frogpond, Rocket Fuel is the Key, Cyclamatic, and the Pembertons. Some of the members of these bands formerly played together, too: El Fontain’s Marty Robertson and OCG’s Billy Joe Johnson were in Frogpond together; Egomaniacs John Evans and Matt Anderson were formerly in El Fontain. The Egomaniacs opened with a set every bit as brilliant as they are confident. Their material covered an extraordinary range without seeming obtuse; some songs ventured into mathy rhythms and far more chords than the usual 2 or 3 while others had a much narrower focus. All of the songs featured simple, flowing melodies which were memorable much later. John Evans’s modern guitar sound was more robust than some bands with two guitarists. Bassist David Boomer anchored the band with some great grooves which complemented the band’s musicality and Matt Anderson’s swooping, high-energy drumming very well.
El Fontain’s sound is a throwback to the seventies -- classic crunch, vintage growl, southern-fried grit, and abundance of vocal harmony. Past or present, local or otherwise, a band such as El Fontain -- in which all members sing well together, separately, or in any combination -- is a rarity. Despite the conventionally favored sound, they take many risks in their songs, which have more twists and turns than just about any band, too. The average song by the average band has two or three parts to it, and most of El Fontain’s song can seem like several normal songs in one. Only a few songs like “Excessive Desire to Remain in Bed” begin and end with similar mood or musical ideas. At their best, the result is a well-performed song that stays fresh and re-captures the listener’s attention several times. At their worst, the song is well-performed, pleasant, and interesting, but seems to meander on and on schizophrenically between incongruent ideas. Part of this is because their skill level is so high -- John White and Marty Robertson probably could layer their guitar parts and trade solos over Dan Lee’s bass hooks and King Crawford III’s drumbeats, all of them singing away, for hours at a time.
Onward Crispin Glover has been widely recognized as one of the area’s premier rock bands almost from its inception. Some will categorize this band as a “power-pop” band, but OCG’s power would overload a handful of bargain-bin “power-pop” bands, and the pop tastes more like ice milk that has become just a bit clottic. Most two-guitar bands could learn a great deal from Brad and Byron Huhmann’s harmonized hooks, melodic leads, and rich chords; it’s a treat to hear both guitars play so distinctly throughout the set. People will forget all stereotypes of female bass players as soon as they experience Kristen’s playing. Vocally, they have an edgy, bratty, and assertive approach (a nice contrast to the usual whiney, timid, or random screamers and the cookie monsters), and it matches the musicality of the band perfectly. As much as I enjoyed every song, I was especially impressed by the last three selections, “Action,” “The Cut,” and “Standing on the Plateau with My Lunch Pail Packed.” Onward Crispin Glover is a must-see for anyone who likes any sort of rock.
--Mark Cuthbertson
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