Rock Shows of Note LXXI

Friday night after work, after catching up on mail at home, I walked to the Zeitgeist Gallery to see Paul, Jef, and Jen perform as Sinkcharmer. I was running a little late, and I thought I'd miss some of the other bands performing, but the show started late, as well, so I didn't. Static Films opened. A three piece led by a bearded man wearing a trucker's hat, Static Films specializes in sleepy Elephant Six- and Orso-like post-rock, bordering on alt.country. The frontman had a resonating voice, and their use of clarinet, electronic drums and other recordings, mandolin, melodica, piano, and miniature steel drum made for a wonderful set. A member of the next band, Elephant Micah, who also worked the sound board, joined them to add a fourth harmony part on one song. Well done.

I missed most of Elephant Micah's set, though, because Jef, Jen, and I hustled over to the Druid for a quick beer and conversation. But what I heard when we returned, I enjoyed. Some of the material reminded me of Static Films, but their later pieces were more straight-forward indie rock-meets-alt.country trio work featuring traditional instruments. I picked up a cassette that they self-produced, complete with spraypaint-stenciled cover, and look forward to a deeper listen.

Lastly, Sinkcharmer. Paul's written several new songs and debuted them Friday night. One was a slower, more ambient number featuring an electronic drum track. Another was more indie rock in nature. Overall, the set was energetic, the three-part vocals were well placed, and Sinkcharmer delivered another solid performance. The crowd seemed to particularly enjoy the increasing intensity throughout the show, and the band ended on a delightfully high note, with Paul turning his back to the crowd and really putting his guitar through the paces. I look forward to more new songs!