April 18, 2007
The Sterns
7 p.m. Tuesday, April 24. Creepy Crawl (3524 Washington Boulevard).
By Jaime Lees
Published: April 18, 2007
The Sterns sound like Belle and Sebastian trying to make laid-back ska music, seeing as how the band makes grown-up pop with just a touch of rocksteady rhythm. Though everything the quintet plays comes out sounding vaguely English, its sound is subtle enough to pass as authentic; listeners would never suspect that these catchy bits come straight outta Boston. At a SXSW showcase last month in Austin, the Sterns sounded thicker (and better) than recordings. Heavy organ (think Murder City Devils) supplemented lighter songs, and the entire band fully threw itself into the performance, punk-style.
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April 4, 2007
VAST
7 p.m. Monday, April 9. Creepy Crawl (3524 Washington Boulevard).
By Jaime Lees
Published: April 4, 2007
VAST (a.k.a. the name under which musician Jon Crosby records) stands for Visual Audio Sensory Theater — and Crosby makes music that’s appropriately epic for the moniker. While a combination of art-rock industrial beats and gothic classical strings is his trademark, a heavy global influence keeps Crosby’s albums interesting; specifically, tribal beats add an extra layer of danger and impending doom to songs that could accompany the creepy vampire change-over scene in a Lost Boys remake. To break it down further, VAST mostly sounds like Failure’s Ken Andrews singing a Pretty Hate Machine song for the Lion King soundtrack. In concert expect building, pressure-filled, atmospheric soundscapes low on humor and heavy on Bauhaus.
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