IN THE ZONE VulGarrity. |
There was a packed house and another well-executed romp last Friday at the Met, the site of the 2011 WBRU Rock Hunt Finals. Friends and fans quickly filled the room (a well-spent $5 to say the least) by the 8 pm start; four hours later, the eight judges' votes (including one from 2010 victors the Wandas) were tallied and VulGarrity, the acclaimed sibling duo of Shawn and Tracy Garrity, were declared champs. Neither 'BRU program director nor I could recall the first band performing ever coming out on top, but VulGarrity's 35-miniute set slayed from start to finish, with all of their signature moves in effect — switching up instruments (even twice during one song), tossing in a dance floor heater of a cover (bands were allowed a one non-original per set), and Shawn's uncanny ability to nimbly nail riffs and work it all through loop pedals. And for the first time in three years as a Rock Hunt judge, the band I voted for (in six categories ranging from Songwriting to Radio-Readiness on a 1-10 scale) actually won.
>> PHOTOS: "WBRU Rock Hunt with VulGarrity, Herra Terra, Last One Out, and The Death of Paris" by Richard McCaffrey<<
CATCHY Last One Out. |
DAMN YOU, "LIFE SHARK"
Packs of female fans (one holding up a pink posterboard that read "Ladies Love Last One Out") came out in full groupie-love force for PC senior classmen Last One Out (facebook.com/lastoneout), led by spritely singer/keyboardist Scott Royal. They thrive on bouncy jams and an unabashed ham factor, and the crowd was eating it up right from the start of set opener "Space Kangaroo." Cuts from their latest EP, Double Whammy, rocked a bit harder in the live setting, though the occasional rootsy breakdowns didn't translate to the dancing attendees. But the catchy singles "Glue" and "Life Shark" have not left my head since last Friday. Last One Out is waterslide-summer rock, and the quartet has serious post-grad plans to make a living off their music. Catch 'em at AS220 on April 22.
ANTHEMIC The Death of Paris. |
ALL FIRED UP
"What the fuck is up, Pawtucket?" yelled Nathan Harrop, singer/guitarist for the Death of Paris (thedeathofparis.com) and a veteran of the Rhody music scene. After a few soundcheck delays that ate up some of their official set time, the quintet got down to business with big screamo anthems (fans of Rise Against should check out DoP) like "The Death of Paris" and "Beds on Fire" (already receiving a healthy dose of airplay), but a costly move dampened the spirited set when the band exited while Harrop remained with an acoustic guitar and sang about his dad's impending jail time. The gloomy, introspective lyrics did not resonate with the crowd or the judges.
PLUGGED Herra Terra. |
ALL WIRED UP
