Vanaprasta - Slidebar 2/23/12

Well it is nice when a Silverlake bands like Vanaprastra makes it way out to the OC to play. And now I have been to the Slidbar twice in 8 days weird, since I hate that lace and most of the people who frequent it. Though being that I was able to confine myself to the venue in the back made it much better and it is like it's own seperate entity away from the ultra OC bro-bar that exists just outside the doors of the venue.

So the first band was Armada and it is hard to muster up much feelings for them either negative or positive. They played a fairly straight forward alt-rock sound that would fit right into KROQ's rotation alongside the likes of Foster the People and such bands. Yet their was nothing nearly as memorable and catchy enough about their music to elevate it to something special. They were best when rocking out and having some good foot stomping songs that bring to mind stuff by Queen of the Stone Age. While the singer had a very nice tone to his voice and the bassist and guitarist both had some fine chops the drumming just seemed lacking to me. He kept a good strong beat just most of the time it was too simple and none of his fills seemed all that interesting.

Next up was News of the Fire who really had me rocking out and digging them. I immediately knew I wanted to get to know this band better. I really liked how a lot of their songs had these very cool way they built up momentum instrumentally. Then they would crescendo into a full raucous rock out, which live seemed maybe a little muddled and sloppy sometimes during that time but their stage presence and energy made up for it. They have an EP that is available on their bandcamp page that is available for free, I highly suggest giving it a listen at least but really you should pick it up cause it won't cost you anything but a few megabytes of space.

And closing the night was Vanaprastra who really benefited from the great PA system at the venue. Though this might be colored by the only other time I saw them was at Pehrspace which has it's charms but high quality sound isn't really one of them. This night perfectly showcased their bigger than life atmospheric rock anthem sound. There is a level of musicianship and songwriting that on showcase when Vanaprasta play that is a step above your usual indie level rock band. And on-top of being phenomenal musicians they know how to put on a energetic live show with great stage presence which has been honed with lots of playing. This makes me mad that I wasn't able to make it out to their Spaceland Satellite residency last November. Be sure to check these out if you can live or go pick up their debut full length album Healthy Geometry.