Friday night’s Spring Bash at the University Student Commons had a little something for all fans of rock music, hosting three indie rock bands: Cinema Sophia, The Sounds of Kaleidoscope, and The Lilys.
Cinema Sophia kicked off the Spring Bash and they had some very harmonic extended jams exhibiting experience in the group’s ability to capture mood. Their keyboard melodies stuck out in the chorus lines, but a lot of their music ranged from melodious rock riffs to that which can safely be called ’emo’ but don’t let that term taint the band’s good name.
They played some solid jams and the singer definitely had the passion needed to move the music forward in a manner characteristic of the group’s style. They’ll be playing again Tuesday night at Gallery 5.
Next up was Sounds of Kaleidoscope, who lived up to psychedelic-sounding name. Even their sound-check was fun to listen to, because it felt like standard jam session with the group.
They had a lot of identity, despite not communicating with the audience a lot, because their music was easy to get into. They had a cool stage presence that not even the Lilys had that night. S.o.K. seemed a little stiff onstage but the music was still moody and they didn’t have any visible problems. The singing was great when the two singers harmonized over their wailing guitars; and the bass grooved in pleasant synchronicity with the drums. All their rhythms could be felt by the few people who remained to watch their set and they seemed to really enjoy them, or at least there were sufficient amounts of screaming going on for this band, which the other two didn’t receive.
Their music was full of heavy distortion, driving tempos and the infinite energy drawn from to play it. At one point, other members of the band filled in on the epic percussion parts that required heavy, tribal noise. At times, the group even had a Queens of the Stone Age feel, when they tranced through their jams or made effective use of repetition. By combining elements of stoner-metal and the same skills used previously by Cinema Sophia, sticking high notes into the low-tuned droning chorus to put focus on those high notes, the group gave ultimate meaning to the waves of noise out of which the melody emerged.
The last set of the night was the Lilys’. The Philadelphia group played a solid show, but what really set them apart from the other bands was their looseness onstage. After messing around with instruments, Kurt Heasley, the singer/guitarist turned around and asked the band “What do you want to play?” Their sound was a sort of harmonious alternative rock. The band takes it easy and their music shows that. The show felt very lazy and relaxed but still soulful and moving.
Another thing setting them apart is the attention to detail given to individual instrumentation. The other two groups had a way of playing altogether, to create one big noise, but each instrument found its own place in the Lilys’ set. Heasley’s pronounced vocals gave image and stature to the group. His voice was crisp, clear, and he made sure it was heard. Judging by the reaction of the 30-some people who showed up for the Lilys’ set, they clearly satisfied their crowd.
Another spring goes by, and so does another Spring Bash at the Commons. All in all, it was a good show, but could have used better publicity. Based on the performances given by the three bands, many more people could have been entertained had they actually known about it.