They Who Sound at Avant Garden and Rudyard's turns 31

I have been on a huge indie-rock kick for the last few months and it seems my patience for experimental music has shriveled; as if my jonesing for melody and structure has resulted in musical ADD. That changed when I headed over to Avant Garden for Sunday’s They Who Sound performance at the behest of a friend.

As we walked in we found Nick Hennies banging on a snare, making small changes in pressure to the head of the drum. He went on to do this with a woodblock and, most effectively, a triangle, for 15 or 20 minutes. The point of all this was simply to explore the slight variations in how each instrument sounded depending on where it was struck as well as to what degree it was muted. In the case of the triangle, the main rhythmic strike would give way to other resonant frequencies that would drone in the background. Despite some quibbles with the transitions between instruments this was a simple and abstract exploration of sound that was engaging and sometimes, if you were open to it, refreshing.

Long attention spans were less of an issue with the improvisational quartet that followed: Jawwaad Taylor (vocals, trumpet, MPC drum machine), Dave Dove (trombone), Charles Stevenson (drums), and Lucas Gorham (guitar and lap steel). The playing ranged from boisterous and brash to quiet and nuanced. The horns would chatter back and fourth, the guitar would meow or crash, and the drums would step lightly or stomp with fury. Much like the sound a busy city’s downtown district would have as it moved from the quiet hours before sunrise to the cacophony of noon; this was music that was bustling with life.

Those two performances were enough to break my experimental/improv fast. I'll return for another They Who Sound soon and, if you are looking for something to break away from the typical club experience, I encourage you to drop into Avant Garden on a Sunday evening as well. It's only $5, the performers and crowd are laid back and unpretentious, it ends early enough to be rested for work or school on Monday and the fruit-infused rum on the rocks is pretty badass in the summer.

Over at Rudyard's, Lelia Rodgers and her staff were celebrating the bar's 31st anniversary with Caddywhompus, Spain Colored Orange, and Something Fierce. Caddywhompus alone made the trip across Montrose worthwhile. I'd been into Sean Hart (drums) and Chris Rehm's (guitar and vocals) brand of shoegaze in their other band, Riff Tiffs, but Caddywhompus is an unexpected sucker punch of energy. The guitar and drums never settle for obvious rock tropes and Rehm's vocals are playful and sweet. Color me impressed.

It was good to give Spain Colored Orange -- a band that I've just never been able to connect to emotionally -- another go. I sat through about four songs and found the band playing phenomenally. Gilbert's vocals were lovely, the guitarist was having a blast, the trumpet was confident, the light show was a hoot and, yes, I actually found myself enjoying their show. I realized a lot of this had to do with the sound that allowed the band's interplay to really shine through. So, as I stepped out, I walked up to soundman Joe Omelchuck and told him "You know, I never heard Spain Colored Orange sound so good. I'm really enjoying them tonight." To which he replied with a smile and some pride, "Well, you just never heard them at Rudyard’s."

Nick Hennies