While getting directions to the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta, I noticed a recurring comment regarding the venue. Apparently this much raved about concert haunt is near impossible to find your first time there. There is no sign, no phone number, and it is underground…literally. Thankfully after about 20 minutes of wandering around looking for a flock of dudes wearing skinny jeans, I got some much-appreciated help from a gentleman of the homeless persuasion.
I thought that Kyle Andrews would be playing with a band but turned out it was him solo, singing with an acoustic guitar backed by a laptop. Not a lot to say about his set really, he sounded ok and the beats were pretty catchy at times…not sure if I would dig more than 25 minutes of his music though.
Before seeing The Submarines, I had only heard a few of their songs and was ambivalent about their music. However, after a few minutes into their set, my ambivalence faded when I started enjoying the band and their trusty laptop. The vocal duties were split between John Dragonetti & Blake Hazard, so there was a nice bit of mood variation. John played conductor with the laptop, Blake switched between various instruments and the fluffy haired drummer could not escape my vision…the live drums meshed well with the synthesized sound. I don’t know if it’s because they are married but the two singers seem to compliment each other nicely on stage. The crowd was definitely enthralled in the show and seemed rather comfortable shouting out song requests. The Submarines did a nice job at rotating the tempo of their set and I rather enjoyed the songs, Swimming Pool and Vote. * I think the drummers name is Jay.
The Morning Benders‘ music seems shiny and fresh, yet reminiscent of the era when pop rock was softer, smoother and a bit lofty. The DIY, not too complicated way The Benders create music gives them and their tunes, character and charm. The quartet seemed really relaxed and comfortable on stage, especially the fresh-faced lead singer Chris Chu, who has an unconventional swagger about him. The Morning Benders‘ songs are typically short and sweet, so their set moved right along, including songs from their latest album, Talking Through Tin Cans as well as their older EPs. Oh, and it looked as if the drummer was using a maraca as one of his drumsticks (is this common?). In a live setting, the Morning Benders kind of reminded me of Vampire Weekend…which is a good thing in my concert book.
