The Nice Boys video

Here's some footage from the Nice Boys show at The Sunset Tavern earlier this month. The mid-chorus drum fills make my day. :)

Photos: The Small Change and The Nice Boys

As I mentioned earlier, I showed up at the Sunset Tavern this past Saturday just in time to hear Visqueen announce "thank you, goodnight" from the stage. So, that's sucked. But, the rest of the night was entertaining.

On next was The Nice Boys from Portland. Their set was somewhat shambolic, but still very rock and roll in a 1970s CBGBs kind of way that I fully appreciated. The whole thing felt like it could careen off the rails at any moment. But, it never did, and they ended their set with my favorite tune of theirs, called "Teenage Nights."

Here's a shot of their guitar player.


The Nice Boys

Third on the bill was the Buffalo Killers. I didn't get any good pictures of them. But, I'm not sure it would've done them justice anyway. They came out and just blew the doors off in a very 1960s power trio kind of way. I'd never want to hang the albatross of this comparison upon anyone, but I was reminded of the Hendrix trio and of Creem. My friend Chris said he felt the drummer was a direct descendant of John Bonham. And having these guys follow The Nice Boys made for an interesting study in musical aesthetic. Both rocked, but they couldn't have been more different in their approaches.

Closing out the night was The Small Change. These guys always rock nuts, and they did just that on Saturday. Greg's energy and enthusiasm for what he's doing is infectious and they write great tunes. I'm hoping they get their butts back into the studio for a new release sometime soon.

I took a bunch of shots, but they all sucked. So, here's one of Greg that's been photoshopped to be slightly more interesting.


The Small Change - Greg

The Nice Boys - video & show tonight (5/5)

Down at The Sunset Tavern tonight you'll be able to catch The Nice Boys and The Small Change. Supposedly Buffalo Killers are on the bill, too. But, last night at the Comet, the buzz was that they had to cancel and that a surprise set by Visqueen was going to happen. I have no idea if that's reality or not. So, take it for the rumor that it is. The Sunset's website makes no reference of this.

In the meantime, here's some footage of The Nice Boys to get you ready for the rock. The song, "Teenage Nights," begins with a most excellent cowbell. :)

Powerpop bands make my life hard...

I just found out that The Nice Boys, The Small Change and Buffalo Killers are playing at the Sunset Tavern on Saturday (5/5). Now that's a great line up of great bands.

But, then I remembered that Lund Bros, Boy Crush and Conservative Dad are playing over at the Skylark, and I've been wanting to see those guys, too.

So, I'm left with the conundrum of which show to attend.

Here's some video from Buffalo Killers, by the way:

NW bands @ Radio Heartbeat Fest

In March, Radio Heartbeat out of Brooklyn, NY is having what they call the first ever NYC powerpop festival. Tey say they have finalized the line up, and there are a number of Northwest bands on the bill, including:

The Nice Boys, Portland
The Suspicions, Seattle
The Pop Machine, Seattle

I don't know about this "first ever" declaration, especially since the International Pop Overthrow is held there. A lot of the bands seem more on the garage-pop tip. But, it looks like a pretty cool series of shows.

Congrats to our NW friends for making the bills!

The Nice Boys mp3, album and tour

The Nice Boys, out of Portland, have a new self-titled record out and have a tour kicking off on thursday to support it. No Seattle dates listed as of now on their myspace page.

Spin Magazine said they

"…infuse Nick Lowe's infectious pub-rock songcraft with the charmingly sloppy abandon of the Faces."

I've not heard enough of the record to confirm or deny those comparisons. But, the song "Johnny Guitar" certainly has a 1970s glam rock feel to it (as does the album cover -- see below). Actually, after listening more, this track has sort of a Bay City Rollers meets the Ramones vibe.