pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

This was my third time seeing dredg, and the second time this year.  Their latest record (The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion) is an amazing album… a definite front runner for album of the year for me.  It is inspired by Salman Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.”  I gladly made the trek up to Portland, and now that I’d been able to soak in their latest album (it wasn’t out when I saw them in April), I knew much more of the material being played.  I was also able to bring my camera… yay!

The first opener As Tall As Lions were really good. The first song, the bassist was acting a bit goofy.  I thought it seemed weird, or that he was “overacting.”  However, throughout their whole 5-6 song set (35 minutes), he kept it up.  Maybe it grew on me, or maybe I changed my mind and felt he really was into it that much (plus he’s got some backing vocal chops).  :) Anyway, As Tall As Lions were a 6-piece in this live setting.  They’re from New York, and had a good indie rock vibe – nice vocals, nice groove, and good use of horns.  The band was way forward on the stage; so my only downside was that I was right next to the drums, which drowned out a lot of their vocals.  But, all in all, a very good opener.

The second opener Rx Bandits may as well have been a co-headliner (maybe they were billed as such).  It seemed as if tons of the crowd were there to see RxB.  They started the set with all four members on drums, which was fun.  One of the highlights of their 70 minute set was their lead guitarist and their drummer.  Their drummer had a dirty Daniel Johns (of Silverchair) look, and was kicking the crap out of his drumkit.  And their lead guitarist didn’t have the most “rock” stage presence, but he seemed like he could fit in a really into a shredder band… he played some really complex underlying scales, all while having a nonchalant look on his face. :)  Their vocalist reminded me physically as Brett McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords).  And vocally, he seemed like he could fit in a jamband meets reggae/punk band.  Their bassist looked like he also fit in a jamband, and he had a very nice groove and bounced around the stage a lot.  It was an odd mix for a group, but it worked.  I’ll definitely see them if they swing through Eugene.  I took a few pics of RxB, but they didn’t turn out… oh well… next time…

Dredg came on right at 10:50pm and blasted into the trio of songs that kicks off The Pariah, The Parrott, The Delusion.  They seemed a little toured out (only compared to the last show in April).  They still put on a great show.  Gavin (singer/ lap steel), Dino (drums/ keyboard), Drew (bass) and Mark (guitars) were joined by a second guitarist for a few songs (I didn’t catch his name).  He played with them on Pariah, Drunk Slide, and Information.  Great 85 minute set.  Here’s what they played…

Setlist:

• Pariah
• Drunk Slide
• Ireland
• Ode to the Sun
• Catch without Arms
• Same Ol’ Road
• Saviour
• RUOK?
• I Don’t Know
• Δ
• Bug Eyes
• Information
• Light Switch
• Zebraskin
• The Tanbark is Hot Lava
• The Canyon Behind Her
• Down to the Cellar
• Cartoon Showroom
  

No encore (again), but perhaps that’s their M.O.  I’m not putting my usual “a fave of the night” notations by any song, because, quite frankly, it was all amazing.  At the end of Down the Cellar, the crew took Dino’s drum kit away one piece at a time at the end, with him ending on piano and no drums around him.  That was fun.

The only song I really wish they played but didn’t was “Gathering Pebbles” (from their new one).  I could play that song on repeat all day…

As much as I can get across in words, dredg is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands.  Rarely does an opener hit me, and ever since I saw dredg open for Coheed & Cambria (a few years back), I’ve been an immediate fan.  Their latest is their best yet, and their other albums are great as well.  I’d recommend picking The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion up on CD, vinyl (from the dredg store), or if you are silly… on mp3 (why go for the lower quality folks?). :)

dredg “Information“

The Appropriate Linkage:

• http://www.dredg.com/
• http://www.myspace.com/dredg
• http://www.myspace.com/rxbandits
• http://www.myspace.com/astallaslions
• http://www.wonderballroom.com/

~Dan – np: Dub Trio – New Heavy

DREDG PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

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