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Review:
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I’ve reviewed
Dallas’s Deathray Davies before -- I really like them. I
especially liked their
album from last year, The Day of the Ray.
However, I have a confession to make: after writing those reviews
and really enjoying their shows, I kinda forgot about them.
I didn’t mean for them to fall off my musical radar. It’s just
that my attention was diverted by the concerts and albums of
other, newer bands. So, I probably wouldn’t have attended this
concert, except that one other Minion was particularly excited
by the prospect of seeing The Davies live.
Anyway, when we got to The EARL, we had a bit of a wait before
the first band came on. I didn’t really mind: the only thing
I knew about the opener was they were advertised as being ex-members
of The Make Up and Nation of Ulysses. Neither is a recommendation
for me, but since I like to support opening bands, we still
made our way towards the stage once the two members of French
Toast took the stage. I was really surprised when the two guys
on stage began to play slightly angular post rock that reminded
me a little of Atlanta’s Moreland
Audio. “Hmm,” I said to myself. “this is actually pretty
good.”
And that was an understatement. In fact, as their set progressed,
I got more and more into this band. They added some vocals,
and keyboards. The drumming remained quite intense -- from where
I was standing, the drummer occasionally beat his kick drum
hard enough to cause a wind effect. In particular, I rather
liked the way some of the songs flowed into others, so that
you couldn’t tell which tune they were playing. It made their
music seem more complex and intricate than it perhaps would
have come across with clear breaks. By the end, I was really
disappointed that they finished, and felt that had the evening
ended with just them playing, it would have be a success.
After a brief break, The Deathray Davies began to play, and
I was immediately entranced by their music. I’d forgotten how
much I really liked this band, and their slightly crunchy Texas-style
garage/indie rock. It seemed like they played most of my favorites
off of Day of
the Ray, including the apparent crowd favorite Is
this On? and my personal favorite, The Medication’s Gone.
They also went a little deeper into the album and pulled off
some of the other songs ( like Persuasive is Her Name)
which aren’t as anthemic, but are nevertheless quite good and
show off John Dufilho’s song-writing skills. Despite all this,
one of the highlights of their set was a new song called How
to Win at Roulette, which has a driving beat, screamed out
chorus, and is fun to boot. Supposedly, this is a reflection
of the new harder rocking style of The Davies, but except for
a little more feedback, that song could have been right at home
on one of their earlier albums.
Still, as much as I truly enjoyed the music, the best part
of the show was the band themselves. Although the crowd was
a bit sparse, and it seemed like only a few people were really
into the music, The Davies seemed to be having a really grand
old time on the stage. The various band members interacted with
each other, smiling and laughing as if they were the only people
in the room. Furthermore, lead singer John Dufilho asked the
other members of the band what songs they wanted to play, which
indicates a respect for the other musicians that is occasionally
lacking in band where one person is so dominant. Finally, although
this has little to do with The Davies, the sound this night
was absolutely excellent. Even though the normal EARL sound
guy (who turns things up too loud and too distorted) was working,
you could actually hear everything that was played (including
the xylophone and tambourine). This gave me a newfound respect
for the 6 members of The Deathray Davies –- it was clear that
each musician knew what he was doing, and added to the overall
sound of the band.
In the end, I have to say that I was quite happy to have come
out for the show. In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed that I wasn’t
more enthusiastic before. In my mind, based on the few shows
I’ve seen by them, The Deathray Davies are one of the better
live bands I’ve come across recently, and it seems like a shame
that they didn’t draw a larger crowd. You should definitely
go see them when they come to your town.
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