at Tractor Tavern

The working subtitle for this photoessay was almost Fuck Everything Else, Indie Rock Wins Forever. Because there's no other way to say it: Nada Surf puts on one hell of a pulsing, swoonworthy, face-shredding rock show. And not just any kind of rock, mind you -- this is fully legit indie rock, a term that gets tossed around way too loosely these days. You just have to know it when you see it: in this case, Nada Surf delivers their particular take, with the kind of big-guitar storytelling madness that keeps the crowd moving for the duration of the set, while blowing out eardrums in the most beautiful of ways. Without hesitation, I'll even go so far as to say that Nada Surf comes damn close to giving bands like the Wrens a run for their money -- and those of you who know my personal dedication to all things Wrens know the {musical} gravity with which I speak when I make that kind of a statement.

To wit: the setlist was flawless, and opener Eric Elbogen {nee Say Hi} did a tremendous job warming up the crowd with his batch of attention-grabbing, carefully delivered songs. I only wish more people would have stopped their yammering to pay more mind to his set, but with a sold-out venue that's on their tip-toes readying to rock the fuck out, there's only so much you can expect past the first five or six rows.

Say Hi:

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at The Rendevous

Since I'm such an opinionated music lover (some would say "music snob"), I have fairly rigid ideas about successfully pulling off a cover tune. The way I see it, there are generally two ways you can go. The first is to do a note-perfect rendition of whatever song it is you loved enough to perform in the first place. Otherwise, break it down and make it completely your own -- Grandaddy's cover of "Revolution" is a nice example of this tactic.

But after seeing The Velvet Richman Division (supported by Slaughterhaus Rose and Life In A Blender) last Saturday at The Rendezvous, I may have to add a third option. It turns out that combining said song with others by equally-adored, though generally unrelated, artists and just rolling with it works too.

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