Variety is the spice of life, and last Wednesday at The Republic, Radio Rubber Room gave us a melange of bands. Folk solo act Russell Lacy warmed the crowd for The Dream Machine, followed by the loud and ominous rock of Lorem Ipsum.
Grease Trigger frontman Russell Lacy released his solo album "Charlestown" in February, since then I've seen a few of his live performances around the city. The album itself is worlds more southern-rock than his mournfully charming live solo performances. Delivered concisely through soft finger-picked rolls, Lacy offers simple, but thoughtful progressions. It sounds like he gave a lot of attention to these songs - he maintains dynamic movement almost constantly, never dragging on a chord for too long. He's got a clear reminiscence of Ryan Adams and The Tallest Man on Earth, mainly due to the touch of raspy shrillness in his voice. Every singer can choose how to use his voice; Russell Lacy has chosen well, and has great control within in the range he uses. His live voice maintains the shrill breathiness aforementioned, while in the studio he actually croons a little bit. Check out "Charlestown", it's available online - you can also find a handful of Russell's live performances on his myspace page.
After The Dream Machine ripped through a solid, medley-driven set, the loud and gritty Lorem Ipsum took the stage. Super loud, super punchy, guitar-heavy rock and roll will always win out in my book. The same goes for broken guitar solos, dissension, and a constant surge of blasting drum accents. I got an immediate sense of Queens of the Stone Age from Lorem Ipsum, not just in an instrumental sense, but in the compartmentalized structure of the songs themselves. Frontman Brian Landis has a hilarious severity on stage, perhaps due his resemblance of the great Neal Cassady. I'll be keeping up with Lorem Ipsum's agenda on their website, these guys rocked.
This Wednesday at The Republic, Rubber Radio Room will take us on a more easygoing route, with The Dream Machine and Relacksachian, a folk/bluegrass sextet that resonates with the sound of Appalachia. Their sound is bred for live rhythmic performance, featuring fiddles, spoons, and a washboard. Occasionally, I beg for a relaxing Wednesday night after a king bitch hell of a weekend. So I'm looking forward to very cold beer and very cool tunes this Wednesday, August 1, 10pm at The Republic.
