RockNRollCupcake: 10/23/2008

*Some nights you just want a quick snack- it's easier, with less prep and clean-up involved. It really hits the spot right around midnight. In that vein, we present RockNRollCupcake, a tasty text morsel with a dollop of photo frosting. Perfect for late nights, or early mornings, and general noshings.

The Rumble Strips with Birdmonster and Marvelle, 7th St Entry, 10/23/2008


With a name like Marvelle, you've gotta be thinking the Shirelles, or Patti LaBelle, or at least "I-put-a spell" vinyl Camaro cock-rock. But nope. The local outfit is a drums-bass-electric-violin combo trafficking in a heavy metal inflected with King Crimson and Eastern European folk dance (courtesy of John Holm's violin). Accompanied by a live painter who is listed as a band member on their Myspace, and with songs that sounded as though the bassist may have been reading aloud from The Lord Of The Rings, much of the early part of the set seemed to call for being epicly stoned, circa 1976. Their last two songs tightened up and showed a promise of clarity with the violin scaling several octaves and a classic drum-lead rat-a-tat repartee to go out on a bang.

NOM NOM NOM


I was blank on Birdmonster before the show, but they left the stage having won another fan. Granted, I may be soft for uncomplicated but layered guitar rock, but the boys from San Francisco were all smiles from stage and upbeat, cathartic. They delivered with lots of peppy dancing, and there were shifts enough to show of some sweet rhythm guitar lines and folky vocal breaks in the vein of other indie outfits like Bishop Allen or the now-defunct Page France. Birdmonster is now touring behind their new release From The Mountain To The Sea, and it's a friendly, appealing disc. Let the kids have their stage, and moment in the light.


The Rumble Strips did not, as David Klein of Birdmonster informed us, come from New Jersey. They came from England and sounded, to quote an unnamed source, "like the Bosstones from Brighton." Not so flattering; the horns were there and some nice trills & frills, but it seemed like half a show, half-hearted, like frontman Charlie Waller's half-finished pompadour. I checked out after the first couple songs, because for the best of Merry Olde England, there was a Richard Hawley CD waiting for me at home.

Video: Birdmonster's "Iditarod" video!


Bonus: Richard Hawley's video for "Tonight the Streets are Ours". Election Day is around the corner!