. : : November 13th, 2011 : : .
Guess we might as well keep the Birmingham, Alabama-based bands who opened for Maria Taylor theme going.
I posted about Dead Fingers last week, but since discovered that I also neglected to post the night’s first opening band, The Grenadines.
You’d be forgiven if you haven’t heard of them. Looks like after a couple of lowkey EPs, a self-titled LP on a small indie label, and maybe about four active years, the band called it quits. There’s little online of the husband and wife team of Lauren and Michael Shackelford (not to mention guitarist David Swatzell) that hasn’t been scrubbed, but what there is appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Their pop-infused psychedelic rock is infectious, hook-filled and fun that captured the attention of influential indie stalwarts such as Jenny Lewis, Jim Eno, and Andy LeMaster.
It’s definitely more immediately accessible than Dead Fingers. Their single, Shake, sounding like late-era Rilo Kiley, could’ve been a big hit with a little bit of radio exposure. The unknown track 11 is sultry and sexy, punctuated by the ever-so-slightly too low in the mix slide guitar.
As can be expected from any tape originating from the Drake Underground, all the other instruments are clear and prominent (I suspect that the lead guitar was mostly coming directly from the stage, and the amp was on the other side of the room from me).
The band was loose, if not sloppily charming, but the crowd seems to have been more or less won over pretty quick. Even Michael comments on how quiet the audience is — no clinking glasses, idle chatter, or heckling to be found here.
What you will find is a collection of solid songs from a band that definitely deserved more attention than they got, and disappeared too quickly. Give this one a listen and see if you don’t agree.
- [introduction]
- [unknown]
- Carousel
- [unknown]
- [banter]
- [unknown]
- [banter]
- Shake
- Down
- [banter]
- [unknown]
- [Reservations]
- [unknown]
[info.txt // FLAC Fingerprint] … [ ZIP MP3 Link ]
