Live Review: Indian Jewelry, Tree Creature, Gold Painted Nails (5/18/2008) Eyedrum
Indian Jewelry setting up for their show.
The Sunday night before last, I went down to Eyedrum to catch this one. No matter how many times I go to Eyedrum for shows, I almost always forget where it is and get lost for a minute. This time it delayed me just long enough to get caught in a downpour of rain. After entering the venue and quickly glancing over the art hanging in the gallery, I made my way to the concert venue in the back. There were chairs set up on the floor area this time and on a table by the wall, Indian Jewelry had their merch displayed under a trifold board like kids use for the science fair. I grabbed a seat and a few moments later someone announced that Gold Painted Nails was going on up front. The crowd slowly made its way to the tiny gallery in the very front that I didn’t even realize existed to catch a short and sweet set from GPN. The one man project from Chris Attack was a somewhat minimalist approach to electronic noise jamming. Industrial-esque beats and dog barking-type vocal loops are always a great combo.
After that, I went back to grab a seat up close for the next band, Tree Creature. I had heard some good things about this duo, and been wanting to catch them for some time. They did not disappoint. Very beautiful and lush, atmospheric ambient jams driven primarily by keyboards, (the weapon of choice both utilize) suped up by lots of effects and even some very low-key vocals (but no laptops). I found myself just totally lost in the music for most of their set. In the greater realm of experimental music, you have to some times give credit to the process even if the finished project isn’t as great as you would like, but Tree Creature is one of those rare avant-garde artists that is impressive both in their approach as well as their results. I highly recommend, so here’s a taste:
Tree Creature : Molten Tropics
As soon as Tree Creature finished their set, people in the crowd began getting out of their chairs and going to stand right up in front of the stage, so I followed suit. This tour’s version of Indian Jewelry was a three piece, as opposed to the different five-piece configuration they were sporting at SXSW. But just like last time, they cut off all the lights and aimed a very large strobe light at the audience to obscure themselves. The threesome each traded off from song to song between 4 basic instrument stations: A table with drum machines and other electronic devices, a guitar going through a ton of pedals, a microphone going through a ton of pedals, and a minimalist drum kit. With the set I caught a SXSW, there seemed to be an air of ridiculousness about the show, and not in a bad way. But whether it was less people on stage or knowing what to expect, the dark, loud, and powerful sound that these guys produced just seemed to be so dominating and spectacular that their stage presence almost seemed irrelevant. I bought their new LP, Free Gold! from them at the show and i have been jamming it hard since. If you have yet to take a hard look at this band, go get their new album and be amazed:
- Posted by Davy Minor on May 27, 2008 at 2:45 am
