Category: Tremont
On living in the Tremont Historic District of Cleveland, OH.
Slackjaw [soon to be Early Girl] was a folky-moving-toward-rock band from Cleveland that put together a decent sound but I seem to have caught them in the awkward part of the transition. The vocals are still folky and get overwhelmed by the music.
Amy Kasio was a two-piece electronic outfit with poppy lyrics and a fun attitude melded with serious intent. The singer played with inflatable instruments, which to me seemed an effective send-up of traditional male posturing in metal and rock. I especially enjoyed the song “Blow Up the Ice Cream Truck” which you can listen to on their myspace page.
The Shondes [official site] headlined the show. Brooklyn-based hard rock or power-punk or who cares, because they put on an awesome show. I found myself wanting to throw metal horns a few times because the guitar and bass got so raw. The violin was a welcome addition too.
Incidentally, shondes is a Yiddish word that means “outcast, disgrace, monster” basically any person who doesn’t abide by what society defines as right. All the bands that played could be considered shondes because they lead [emphasis on that word] lives outside of the mainstream as either/and queers, transgendered, anti-occupation Jews, and unilateral unequivocal supporters of human rights.
I always find myself drawn to folks who are empowered and engaged in a righteous cause against Attacks of The Stupid™, and when they play music that rocks, well slap me and call me Sally.
Pics from the show start here.