Old Time Relijun, The Americas, The New Trust & Bear Hunter

Kicking the night off, and missing the season finale of The Simpsons to show the Catacombs crowd a good time, was Bear Hunter. Incorporating an organ, a melodica, a baritone guitar, a glockenspiel and a world of pedals and effects to augment a basic power trio set up (guitar, bass and drums), Bear Hunter played another strong set of dramatic, often atmospheric indie rock. Though the amount of equipment might seem a bit wieldy, the band was able to juggle their various implements proficiently, and while their sound waxed experimental, songs like “Jim O’Rourke,” “Basement ‘98” and catchy closer, “Stop on a Dime” showed enough accessability to draw in the audience.
Bear Hunter made way for The New Trust — featuring Josh Staples from The Velvet Teen — from Santa Rosa, CA. Staples (bass and lead vocals) announced to the crowd that the band was still pretty new, and after a few songs, I thought it showed. The New Trust had great energy, and their brand of whiney, emotional rock easily won over a healthy majority of the crowd, eliciting a strong response, but the band’s mix sounded much too rough for my ears, so I took the opportunity to enjoy a cigarette and the temperate nighttime air on the Catacombs’ front porch.
The Americas took the stage next, fresh off their tour with Redding’s The Red Robot, and gave my tender eardrums a sound, but pleasant thrashing. Though only a duo, The Americas produce an orchestra’s worth of noise and power, and packed into the cozy living room of the Catacombs, the band was positively overwhelming. The intimate setting was perfectly suited for The Americas, who confronted the attentive crowd with signature volatile, unpredictable music. Travis Weurthner’s strangely fluctuating guitar lines seemed to be at war with Casey Deitz’s felonious brutality toward his drum kit, but it was in this tension that the band’s sound flourished, playing songs off their Rinds of Glory EP and even busting out a new number Weurthner quickly titled “Etch-A-Sketches and Lite Brites.” Enjoying an Americas performance is usually a sure bet, but on this night, they seemed even more potent — job well done.
After a refreshingly short set-up time and a brief debate over whether or not to keep the overhead fluorescent lights on — thankfully, it was decided to turn the lights off — Old Time Relijun launched into their set. Each song a lo-fi rock oddity featuring a scattering stream of lyrics, frontman Arrington De Dionyso sang with an evangelist’s intensity and moved like a man possessed, strumming flustered lines on a cheap no-name guitar. The thick, deep tones of Aaron Hartman’s stand-up bass peppered each number with rhythmic hooks, and I found it hard to keep my feet from tapping. Old Time Relijun’s spare, primal sound definitely struck a chord with me, though, once again, my opinion seemed to be in the minority as most of the crowd filtered out during their set.
It was nice to see a night of such diverse acts — each one had their own distinct sound and appeal — and, since it’s, in actuality, someone’s house, the Catacombs proved to be a comfortable place to see a show. Hopefully it will feature many more of this caliber in the future.
– James Barone

– Photos by Ben Kerney

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