PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Firing off pop songs like synchronized riflemen are Brendan Boogie & the Best Intentions, the imagery not entirely unrelated to the sea captain-themed duds of both drummer Justin Tibbets & lead guitarist Tim Delaney. Frontman/bassist Brendan Boogie and guitarist KenDo both kept up the sophistication with their ties and sweaters, and I’m always a sucker for a band that dresses for the show, as long as it’s not uniform.

Dress code aside, Boogie and his recruits delivered a loud & lively, tight & grinding set of catchy, power pop complete with fun lyrics and a full assault of vocals from all three axe-wielders on the front line. I guess I’ve got a soft spot for bands that have a full set of singers stepping up to three mics in sync, and the harmonies are very reminiscent of Dave Grohl’s textures on his various projects, which I especially like in this genre.

The song that had me smiling most was “Pharmaceuticals.” Simply stated, once the chorus dropped to the title line, I almost jumped for joy at “Ooooo, life is beautiful!…” It’s nice to see a band not relishing the pseudo-glamor of drug abuse, but rather seeming to satirize emotional dependency on medication.

Add in catchy songs like, “I Remember Teenage Girls,” and “Baby Makes My World Go ‘Round,” which feature the same background-driven hooks and Delaney’s punchy leads, Brendan Boogie & the Best Intentions will keep your head bouncing and your ears full. Brendan’s got a number of solo shows coming up in town, including the Cover-Up series at the Lizard Lounge and Boston Band Crush’s One Night Band, but the next time you can catch the full band in town is September 18th down at Church.

Less rowdy and having a more polished sincerity, Northampton’s Winter Pills features vocalist/acoustic guitarist Phillip Price singing in a voice not far from his speaking voice, and background vocalist/keyboardist Flora Reed adding a gentle texture of harmonies that dance not only above but below Price’s melodies. The end result is a solid, sonic center around which Dennis Crommett’s electric guitar lines can tastefully dance.

Crommett brought an unlikely flavor to the show with his delay-rich SG, sometimes throwing incessant downstrokes in New Order fashion, but other times sailing over instrumental sections with a style very reminiscent of U2’s The Edge. It’s this kind of inorganic radiance that keeps the band from falling into a simple, folk aesthetic.

Another excellent contrast is drummer Dave Hower’s solid, no-nonsense drum arrangements. It’s always nice to see a percussionist doing what’s best for the song, –rather than flail away aimlessly, — but Hower’s form is unlike most drummers I’ve seen. If you close your eyes, all you hear are smooth, steady, tasteful drum parts with a mastery of balance over all elements in the kit, but watching him, he’s up there pursing his lips (possibly grinding his teeth), squeezing his eyes shut, and awkwardly coming down on each drum and cymbal with what looks like trepidation. It’s this kind of tension that really brings a performance up a notch, as songs build in emotion and intensity while still remaining slightly mellow on the ears.

I hope to be seeing Winter Pills more in the future, because their arsenal of material seems quite expansive, given their requirement to constantly evolve this particular set after a keyboard malfunction. To the untrained eye, such technical difficulties may have either been unnoticed or detrimental to the show, but in my opinion, it allowed the band to really shine under pressure and hint at a vast song list and vocabulary delivered by musical professionals.

One of Boston’s musical gems, The Grownup Noise kept things on the introspective side with lead vocalist/guitarist Paul Hansen’s gentle, boyish vocals which, in contrast to an almost James Taylor effect on the album, was more unrefined in a younger, Ben Gibbard sort of way. However, you’ll not see Hansen hiding behind his guitar in the way some singers do. Instead, he’s apt to break into some serious shredding –well, as much shredding as a band like this can do– with complicated and fast, lead guitar flurries.

On the mix side of things, the bass was LOUD. Not too loud, mind you, but definitely on top of all of the other instruments. Yet, with catlike finesse, bassist Adam Sankowski performed his delicate, tightrope walk up and down his axe, falling right in the rhythmic pocket. Somehow this kind of grace on a bass still had a solid “thump” to it, as Sankowski stomped his way around the stage, and it was probably the sheer volume that kept the edge back on The Grownup Noise’s set. Most impressive.

To leave out Katie Franich’s cello parts would be a severe injustice, because she offers not just your typical bed of cello lines. Franich knows just when to push her additions to the forefront, sometimes even in a grinding way, to show off her ear for note selection and virtuosic dexterity.

The Grownup Noise is not to be missed. It’s hard to cover the myriad things that you will find in one show as the group shows off their multi-instrumentalism, elaborate vocal harmonies, Todd Marston’s accordian stylings, and intimidating tightness as a band. The Grownup Noise is currently out on a US Tour, but look for them to be playing back in Boston when they return in the Fall.

Check out the band as they covered House of Pain’s “Jump Around.”

Closing out the night was the latest project from former Lemonhead Ben Deily on vocals/guitar, his wife Lisa Deily on bass/vocals, and drummer Josh Pickering. The first song did have a cellist to supplement the trio, but from the second song out, it was down to simple, bar chords, driving bass, and powerhouse drumming.

Varsity Drag

Most songs were on the fast side, and Pickering’s sparse but creative fills revealed a keen ear for what it takes to spice up any musical arrangement. Not only that, but he was hitting the drums hard enough for all of us to hear them in the room, rather than through the mics, which I found to be a nice contrast to the other three bands this evening.

Ben Deily’s vocals are somewhat similar in texture and range to Placebo’s Brian Molko, with simple memories that seem to concentrate on lyrical delivery and vocal quality, rather than a lot of fancy, vocal gymnastics. The result is a sincerity not found often enough in bands that play this loud and this hard. Varsity Drag is gearing up for a UK Tour this Fall, but if you can get out to Worcester on September 4th you can catch them down at Ralph’s (an AWESOME venue, by the way!)

Tonight’s show ran pretty far from one end of pop rock to the other, which kept things fresh rather than fatiguing, but all of the bands kept the show right on target with their consistent, unwavering focus on precision, showmanship, and fun!

Brendan Boogie & The Best Intentions

Winterpills

The Grownup Noise

Varsity Drag