Pedro the Lion, John Vanderslice, Ester Drang & Bear Hunter

Every high school has its share of those mysterious quiet kids with unkempt hair and black Converse low tops; you usually see them in small gatherings in corners, and the jocks and meatheads make fun of them. But if anything can be said about them, they are all into good music, since their entire Chico population was in attendance at Sunday’s show — hands in pockets — with not a sneering jock in sight.
Granted, when Chico, CA’s Bear Hunter took the stage the room wasn’t even close to full, and everyone seemed to be afraid of standing on the big, square floor panel in front of the stage, but as soon as the psychedelic bass lines and eerie ambiance sunk in, the crowd was immediately won over. Bear Hunter’s sound is probably filed under “indie,” but a more descriptive term could be “‘70s meta-indie, with a shitload of effects.” This is because of the size of the pedal arrangements on the two guitars, which, if combined, would probably alter gravity. The result is a flowing rock sound that is much more multi-leveled than that of a typical three-piece, topped by the soaring vocals of Maurice Spencer, who played his pedal setup like a Super Nintendo. The set ended somewhere around warp-world nine.
Ester Drang basically picked up where Bear Hunter left off in terms of multi-leveled musical complexity. While not quite as melodic as the previous act, their three-piece lineup blew the roof off with a flood of sound, including multiple guitar parts on top of bass lines and other sounds that seemed to come from nowhere. The overall result was shimmering, ambient and wholly beautiful, with the kind of vocal ability most artists can only produce on CDs. Both guitarists doubled as keyboardists, and the strange video clips projected onto a screen behind the band (a sped-up shot of the sun setting, raindrops rolling down a window pane in reverse, etc.) created an all-encompassing effect like being in another world — albeit a sad, ponderous, depressed world. I should have bought the CD.
By now the crowd was as big as it was going to get, scattered around the room, and mostly sitting down for a comfortable vantage. But San Francisco solo artist John Vanderslice and his three-piece touring band brought many of them to their feet with a lighter, more traditional rock sound and a fresher, less suicidal vibe. The songs were fairly short and simple, with a borderline folk / classic rock twang, electronic effects laid over the top for a modern twist and a vocal style I described for some reason in my notes as “white-boy soul.” The telecaster-stratocaster guitar combination was not overpowering, but the crisp airiness held a definite appeal.
Closing the night, and herding all the emo kids to the front of the room in a hurry, was Pedro the Lion, a pensive three-piece combining moody, high-end vocals; light, catchy guitar strumming; and some twitchy facial expressions. The sound never deviated from the above synopsis, though vocalist David Bazan made a continuing connection with the audience, even stopping for questions and explaining band goings-on for those interested — which was everyone, without a doubt. The band’s charm and Bazan’s honest innocence made it clear why their following stays so loyal.
– Words and photos by Peter Kimmich

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