The Traprock Misfit at Hampton History Museum

Thanks to Seamus McGrann, The Hampton History Museum has been hosting a broad array of weeknight concerts called The Front Porch Music Series for about a year now.  Although the museum may seem an unlikely venue for concerts and shows, the "Great Hall" is a refreshing change of pace from your typical downtown Hampton bar shows (although there are typically food and drinks available from vendors).  The acoustics are great, the room is clean and cozy, there is a raised stage, and there are typically chairs covering the floor for those who have had a long day at work.

(From Traprock Misfit's facebook page)

On February 19, the featured performer was The Traprock Misfit.  This is the alter-ego stage persona of the local hip-hop/soul sensation K'bana Blaq.  Besides "Traprock" and his solo act in which he goes simply by K'bana Blaq, he also fronts the long-running soul/groove ensemble The Fuzz Band (perhaps known most for their "Fuzzy Wednesdays" open mic that has been going for years).  Blaq doesn't have a day job.  Music is his career and he is constantly taking it to the next level.  His video for the song "I Get's It In Like  Rockstar" recently won the Veer Music Award for video of the year (and defeated Uglyography's humble nomination for our song "Hookey").  Blaq's six minute video is good stuff and could easily stand beside videos on MTV, back when MTV played videos.

Unfortunately I missed Traprock Misfit's first set and arrived at intermission.  Reportedly, what I missed was quite an entertaining journey, as it included performances by The Community Spirit Vocal Ensemble and told the story of the beginnings of rhythm and blues music and how it transformed and shaped its way permanently into modern culture.  I was bummed to have missed it.

But the second set delivered the goods over about 40 minutes.  The performers were Blaq along with a DJ and a pianist, and they began with two very dramatic soulful ballads that were penned by K'bana himself.  I immediately recalled Stevie Wonder melodies and vocal wails akin to something off Talking Book.  The singer took ownership of the stage and the audience, and took turns between standing up and sitting in a chair depending on what the current lines of the song were meant to convey. It was probably the most dramatic thing the History Museum has ever seen or heard.  After the ballads, the DJ did a great job of mixing up some well known soul-rock melodies from the 60's and 70's while Blaq began showing us some pretty darn slick dance moves and singing along with the hits.  It didn't take long before the audience was up out of their own seats and shaking their booties at the leadership of The Traprock Misfit.  The set didn't lose steam (even though a couple more ballads were thrown in) and ended with a cover of Blaq's #1 favorite artist, Prince.  Let's Go Crazy was an appropriate finale and left the audience feeling hyped and happy they were there.

Sam McDonald of The Daily Press was there for the entire show and created a fantastic video summary of the show that you can check out here.   Thanks Sam!

Check out the Music:

K'bana Blaq: https://myspace.com/blaqfever

Check out the History Museum: http://www.hampton.gov/index.aspx?NID=119

Broken Mouth Annie with Uglyography

As I said in my last post, I am not above reviewing shows that I am involved in or perform in! Uglyography rarely performs a show without another band, so this gives me a great excuse to write about all the great acts that join forces with ours.  And of course, blatant self-promotion is an unfortunate reality for DYI artists....

A few brief words about Uglyography's opening set on the night of February 15 at Belmont House of Smoke:

This was our first show since Halloween night (also at Belmont), and our first show with the new lineup of Albert on bass, DJ on drums, and myself on iWood Quirkatronic.  Months of development time in the practice room yielded us a brand new 45 minute set including 10 new originals and 3 covers.  Being our "first time," I was a little jittery about it and blundered up the first couple of songs pretty good, but we soon sunk into our groove and entertained the room ... I think.  After our set, friends and fans that had seen us before kept making a similar motion with their hands while describing our new sound ... the motion of coming together, cohesiveness I suppose.  Felt really good and it seems that we may be on to something ... onward marches the saga of quirkadelic rock!

Photo by Seamus McGrann

Ready to do their typical job of rocking the socks off the room, Broken Mouth Annie arranged all six of themselves on the cozy stage at Belmont and looked as comfortable as I've seen them.  And I've seen them a lot. Never have they appeared uncomfortable, but crowded up together and raising a ruckus they appeared completely at home and have obviously honed their performance into something that is natural for them. There has been an evolution over the last three years.  To me, they have always been a rock band.  For a long time, they used the "Americana" description, and I suppose that still applies some degree. But I would be more apt to go with the technical term I've already used once here:  "Rocking Socks off."

Photo by Seamus McGrann

In their beginnings, there was definitely a pretty strong acoustic and slightly twangy influence, especially in their debut 5-piece form where they did not have a bassist.  The chemistry between violinist Chris Samulski and lead guitarist Mike Howland was apparent back then as they took on dual solos and licks over the folksy but aggressive acoustic rock songs penned and sung by Anson Morris.  The rhythm section consisted of drummer extraordinaire Matt Scruggs and Victoria Hundley on the "kill drum??" (is that what they call it, for real?  it's a big floor tom she beats on) and tambourine. Without a bassist, Hundley's "kill drum" helped out filling in some of those bottom frequencies. The arrangement was fantastic.  They were entertaining.  It was in your face, but still had some certain laid back quality that stood them apart from many other bands outright.

Enter bassist Steve Jones.  Steve is that type of bassist whose face doesn't typically match what he is playing on bass. In other words, he could be pulling off lightning fast run, arpeggios and bends and if he was making eye contact with you his face might display zero effort or change. Naturally, when Jones came on board, he did his bass duties, learned the songs, and added his own touch.  He was a very easy fit, and the already great songs sounded full and complete.  Now, here is where my personal theory comes in, and it is just a theory:

The punch of the bass overtook the band.

In a good way, of course. I am familiar with how adding a new member or instrumentation can change the entire feeling and mood of what is being played.  There is no denying that adding a bassist also means adding a rock solid foundation and a certain indescribable power to an ensemble.   This power was undoubtedly felt by the original five members of Broken Mouth Annie, and as a result they began to play more powerfully.  The songwriting took a small step away from the Americana feel and a bigger step towards more straightforward rock n roll.  To put it simply, the band became a six-piece powerhouse.

So back to the show at Belmont ... the powerhouse performed at ease and managed to keep the room dancing all night long.  Even if the main dancing instigators were obviously there to get some tail by dirty dancing with whatever tail was willing, Broken Mouth Annie provided perfect music for getting your freak on.  For the fans ... they played several brand new songs I hadn't heard before.  They played a few original standards and of course a variety of well-chosen covers including songs by Weezer, The Pixies, Violent Femmes, and The Flys.  I am hearing very little Americana influence in the new material, and that is OK.  They have become what they have become, and nobody is complaining.  I am especially digging a lot of the new effects that Samulski is using on his violin.  Some of it sounds very synth-like and some sounds like trippy guitar rock. All the experimentation and evolution is currently being captured on a new album, recorded by Joe Welch at Studio J to follow up 2011's award winning album, The Frustration King.

Big thanks goes out to our friends Broken Mouth Annie for inviting Uglyography to join them for this show. Also big thanks to Patrick Walsh at Belmont for the most terrific sound job I've heard for a long time in this area.  Love the stage and your expertise!  Thanks to Seamus McGrann for not getting mad that I stole his pictures off the scroll n stare book.

Check out the music:

Broken Mouth Annie: https://www.facebook.com/BrokenMouthAnnie

Uglyography: http://www.uglyography.com 

In a Nutshell: Shows n stuff from early February

In my first post for this blog, I predicted and emphasized that I wouldn't be able to review every show that I attend.  I've been to a few good events over the past two weeks but life has been good and busy, so rather than try to catch up here is a quick recap of my musical journeys of the past couple of weeks:

1)  I never said I was above reviewing my own shows!  On Saturday February 1, my old band from the early 2000's The Outer Loop returned to the stage at The Point in Phoebus. We had to turn WAY down and the staff seemed concerned about keeping the floor clear for the fire marshall.  But all in all we rocked our folk punk and everyone had a great time!  The acoustic duo 2 Day Sun opened the show for us with their groovy melodic sounds and I would recommend checking them out if you see they are playing around town. Keep a lookout for many more shows by The Outer Loop this year. The next one is with The Framers at 80/20 Burger Bar in Ghent on Saturday April 12.

2) On Monday February 3 The Norva hosted Veer's annual Local Music Awards.  The night was full of great performances by local artists, and was presented like a Grammy's style awards ceremony.  The Norva was a nice appropriate venue for the event and hope to see it there in future years.  Best thrill of the evening was that The Framers took home the awards for Album of the Year and Best Emerging Artist!  There is a lot to talk about and report so I will provide links to other stories in case you are looking for a more detailed report.  Congrats to all the winners, nominees, and performers!

Veer Magazine Report
Sam McDonald's Sound Check Report

3) Following the Veer Awards, we went to an after party at Belmont House of Smoke where SICMaN of VA was jamming their funky, heavy, wailing, sometimes iPhone driven sound.  SICMaN is always a pleasure to watch on stage.  I was there for about an hour and I think we saw about 6 or 7 songs, including the sic classics "Cutter," and  "Mal's Still Around."  Coincidentally, Joe Welch, drummer for SICMaN, should also be congratulated for a job well done on producing The Framers' award winning album, Sunlight Fever.  It was truly a party at Belmont, and hearing sicness was the best way to celebrate the Framers' win!

4) No Bunny at Strange Matter in Richmond. On February 9, I was lucky enough to see No Bunny for the third time in a classic club called Strange Matter (formerly Twisters, Nancy Raygun).  No Bunny delivered!  Think poppy, bouncy, sloppy, catchy punk rock, all fronted by a slimy dude wearing a bunny mask/ears (mangled and ratty at that) running around stage stripped down to his speedos. Excellent stuff. We saw just a few minutes of Richmond's Nervous Ticks and a full set by Wisconsin's The Hussy, both entertaining acts in their own rights.

So yes, this was a hodge-podge of a report, but I'm finally catching back up on life and hope to be able to provide more detailed reports.  I feel a little better that most of these are either not conventional or not local, but I won't bore you with my excuses.  Have fun and see you out there soon!

Check out the music!
Outer Loop: https://www.facebook.com/TheOuterLoop
2 Day Sun: https://www.facebook.com/2daysun
The Framers: http://theframersband.com/
SICMaN of VA: http://sicman.com/
No Bunny: https://www.facebook.com/THENOBUNNY
Nervous Ticks: http://thenervousticks.bandcamp.com/
The Hussy: https://www.facebook.com/thehussyknowsall

The Pixies at The National, with Fidlar

Okay, Okay, I realize The National is not in the 757, which contradicts the name of this blog, but  ... who cares?  It's THE PIXIES!  They are a band that changed the way I look at music and songwriting, and to this day I wear out their classic 5 album catalog on the regular.  Every now and then I come across someone my age or younger who has never heard the Pixies and I feel sorry for them.  I also feel sorry for those who tried to get tickets to this show and failed to do so the day they went on sale because it sold out in a matter of hours.  When I saw the show announcement I was very surprised that they were playing such a small-ish venue.  The National's capacity is only 1500 people, and The Pixies have easily sold out many arenas the size of The Hampton Coliseum or Chrysler Hall.  So I was excited to see them in a somewhat intimate environment.

I caught most of the opening set by Fidlar, and as much as I hate to do this, I don't really have a lot to say about them.  Perhaps I expected a band that was opening for The Pixies to be more eclectic or stand out in some way.  Don't get me wrong, this L.A. based rock group was tight and on point.  They had all the elements of a good punk/skate rock band with good melodies, breakdowns, etc. but they just didn't hold my attention enough for a band on a $45 ticket.  However, they did have a large number of fans in the audience who were singing along enthusiastically, so perhaps there is a more to this band than a first cold listen offered me.

When The Pixies took the stage, my attention was first drawn to checking out their new bassist, Paz Lenchantin.  For those who don't know the saga, Kim Deal quit the band in mid 2013, was quickly replaced by Kim Shattuck, who was then fired before the end of 2013 (allegedly for getting over-enthusiastic and stage diving during a performance?) and quickly replaced by Lenchantin.  So yeah, I wanted to see what she was bringing to the table, and it was mostly what I expected.  She was pretty, played the classic bass lines note for note as recorded, had a voice very similar to Deal's, and smiled a lot.  She filled the shoes well, and although it would've been nice to see Kim up there with them again, Paz'll do.  They started their set with a loud and rowdy "Bone Machine." which gave her a chance to shine on vocals and bass simultaneously.

The crowd was immediately going nuts, and all the band members had smiles on their faces.  For the duration of the show, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I can't say the same for the two previous performances I've seen by The Pixes.   In past shows, it wasn't that they weren't performing well, but it just seemed like they may have tired of performing and possibly doing it for the money.  Maybe.  Or maybe since the previous venues were so large I was too far away to see the smiles.  Regardless, at The National I was not too far from the stage and was able to catch all the glances and gestures between players and their energy level stayed high for the duration of the show.  After all these years, singer Black Francis (Frank Black) is still able to roar as throaty as ever and switch to almost a whisper without any problem.  Joey Santiago is still gazing out to the crowd as he plays his simple yet perfect bendy guitar leads, and continues to rock his experimental solo during an extended "Vamos."  For a good portion of this solo he unplugged his guitar and played his 1/4" cable instead by simply touching it, complete with effects pedals.  David Lovering still holds it steady on the drum kit with fog blowing up around him at all times, and gets the trophy for the most romantic vocals on "La La Love You."  My favorite tune for the night was actually a slowed down version "Nimrod's Son" which came out beautiful and creepy!  Besides the obvious absence of Kim Deal, there couldn't be much more a Pixies fan could ask for.

The following is the set list as best as I could make out.  Unfortunately, since I haven't kept up with the band's very recent online releases (bad fan, bad fan!!) I did not know all the songs, so I apologize for the gaps.  But they did play quite a bit of new material, and it stood up well between the old classics.

Bone Machine

Wave of Mutilation

River Euphrates

???

The Sad Punk

Ana

Gouge Away

???

Cactus

Crackity Jones

Isla de Encanta

Monkey Gone to Heaven

???

Where is My Mind

Nimrod's Son

Mr. Grieves

The Holiday Song

???

Motorway to Roswell

Ed is Dead

Here Comes Your Man

La La Love You

Break My Body

I've Been Tired

???

???

Vamos

Encore 1:

Debaser

Broken Face

Head On

U-Mass

Encore 2:

Planet of Sound

FILMAGE: The Story of DESCENDENTS/ALL with Tribute Set by No FB

Back in November I saw a piece of news that a Descendents rockumentary would be coming to VA Beach to be screened in an actual movie theatre for one night only.  This excited me highly and I secured tickets the same day.  Why was I excited?  From my high school freshman year on, The Descendents created a permanent dent (pun intended) in my musical ideology.  I had heard plenty of pop punk, but these guys really stood out because their attitude seemed very over the top in their humor, sarcasm, and emphasis on their own private jokes.  And farts.  All this along with swooning over women and some of the strongest songwriting and playing I've ever heard in the wide punk genre was a formula that resonates and influences me till this day.

As the screening date drew closer I became more excited that there would be a short tribute set after the screening by the one-off band No FB (name based on the Descendents song, which stands for No Fat Beaver).  Cinema Cafe in Pembroke was hosting the event in two screening rooms and everything went off without a hitch.

(apologies for the crappy photo guys!)

The film was a treat.  It told the whole story as expected, and filled in gaps that I had always been curious about.  For instance, my first Descendents tape was Somery, a sort of "greatest of" compilation.  I noticed that the liner notes were huge because there were so many different players credited to so many different songs.  But somehow most of the songs sounded like the same band.  So, roughly 25 years later, as I watched Filmage, the lineage of those players (I believe the total was 11) was spelled out and the story of the band was finally clear to me.  And, I realized that for most songs, the principal or co-songwriter was Bill Stevenson, the band's drummer.  The film also went into great detail about the band ALL, which is basically the same band as Descendents with a different singer, and questioned the reasons why it never found the legendary status of the same band with the same songwriting when fronted by Milo Aukerman.  With plenty of interviews, live performances, anecdotes, and everything else you'd expect from a rockumentary, Filmage left me satisfied with the backstory of one of my all-time favorites.  I will be looking out for this DVD release because it is worth another watch and several loanings to buddies.


(Video footage by Paul Unger)

Immediately following the screening, No FB began setting up in front of the screen and took the stage within 10 - 15 minutes.  The band was fronted by Charles Glover (The Larchmont Trash), the same man who arranged for the film to be screened in VA Beach (with help from Hardcore Norfolk queen Debra Persons).  On bass was Forrest Lucien (Unabombers) and on drums was Hoyt March (also of The Larchmont Trash).  They played a fairly short set consisting of Descendents crowd pleasers "I'm not a Loser," "Silly Girl," "Clean Sheets," and of course the one chord/one note anthem "ALL."  The band was rowdy and blew through the songs as if second nature, and the large standing audience in the cinema responded fondly.

Big props go out to Charles, and all the others that I don't know about behind the scenes for making this happen.  There were two screenings last night and both were sold out!  We could stand to see more special events and screenings like this in Hampton Roads.  Keep your eyes and ears open!

Descedents Website: http://descendents.tumblr.com/

All Website: http://all.tumblr.com/

Boneske, Honorary Girl, and Peak

I found myself drawn once again to the Taphouse in Ghent for a 3 act show that I was certain would deliver the goods.  I have played shows with Boneske a number of times, and had seen a brief set by Honorary Girl in "The Kitchen" during their YourMusicShow performance.  Those two were enough to sell me on the show, and the third band, Peak, definitely piqued my interest so I drove over to Norfolk at 10pm to see what it was all about.  I am glad I attended, although the end of the night left me scratching my head with mixed feelings about whether to laugh or be disappointed.  More on that later.

The show began with Peak, a power/punk rock four piece who was performing for their second show ever.  They introduced themselves as not being a local band but rather a band from Outer Space, and proceeded to hammer out tight 4 chord power rock that I can best equate to late 80's early 90's Lookout Records pop punk (my personal coming of age soundtrack).  The vocals by Rob Ulsh Jr., formerly of The Super Vacations, were reminiscent of classic bands like The Queers, and to me bore a striking resemblance to a lesser known Lookout band called Juke.  On top of the power chord jams, a cock-rocking lead guitarist added the essential gritty rockabilly meets Maiden style runs, and let me tell you - this guy manhandled his Gibson cutaway.  He is a bigger dude and played a tiny small scale model that looked like a toy on him, but his solos shredded fast and fearless, bendy and far from childish.  The floor was packed with a receptive, let-it-hang-out dancing audience, and Peak plummeted through their set with energy that never slowed.  For their second show, the band seemed pleased with themselves, Ulsh thanked the crowd, commenting "We finally got to play the Taphouse, it's our dream come true!"

Next up was Honorary Girl, an enjoyable trio who's sound and attitude is difficult to nail with words.  The main configuration has Will Huberdeau (formerly of Digging up Virgins) on guitar and lead vox, Sean Collins on bass, and Logan Laurent (Hissy Fits, Karacell) on Drums.  On the surface, yes, they are a punk trio and subscribe to in your face changes of feel, raw and sometimes loose-in-a-good-way jangly riffs, and appropriate cuts and stops.  Laurent's drumming is especially energetic and she is a monster when it comes to double-sticking that hi-hat funk-style punk.  But there is something humorous and playful about many of the choice of chords and bouncy riffs in Honorary Girls' sound.  Think about the weirder side of Weezer in their Blue Album/Pinkerton era, but ramp up the tempo and add a lot more stops and oddball non-radio friendly hooks. Huberdeau's vocals stay interesting as well.  He delivers what are obviously heartfelt but humorous lyrics in a style that tells the world that he just doesn't really give a shit.  I'm not sure that deadbeat is the word, but if it is possible to sing beautiful high pitched moving melodies in a manner that sounds like you are ready to lock your bedroom door and go to sleep, Huberdeau is the man to do it.  A few songs into the set, Collins switched over to guitar and lead vocals and proceeded into "Youth Group," a very short ditty about how his church youth group taught him how to play guitar.  It sounded like it was straight off a Dead Milkmen album and the next few songs followed suit before switching back to the original lineup.  For their final upbeat song, Huberdeau's lyrics repeated continuously "I don't wanna eat, I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna ... (whatever, insert your own basic needs here)" before busting out a reggae-punk style finale, singing repeatedly "All I wanna do is sleep with you!"  Classic, perfect, and a definite crowd pleaser.

As if the first two acts were not interesting enough, Boneske finally took the stage for what would be a baffling half-performance, and possibly their unanticipated final performance.  I admire this four-piece for many reasons.  They seem to be completely uninfluenced by any musical convention and throw all ideas of accessibility or pop-sense out the window.  They create a strange off-time groove among themselves that can be nearly impossible for anyone off the stage to follow or predict.  I would best describe their sound as jazz, but any dead jazz greats might roll over in their celebrated caskets to hear that. Aside from the drummer, they play largely with their backs to the audience and vocals are scarce.  Their orator, Aaron Burgess, often takes on a controversial alter-ego persona for rants in between songs (for the previous Boneske set I saw, he took on the role of a family man who had taken his wife and kids to the zoo and was very offended that the zoo allowed homosexuals because his children and the animals should not be exposed to that).  The riffs are largely discordant, muted and accented loops that travel from one weird time signature to the next and (maybe) back again.  It feels like a madman running around in circles with two guitars and a bass while drummer Bobby Rangel eggs him on with off time fills that might last as long as half the song.

All this stuff I love, and I was enjoying the puzzling and unpredictable sounds as much as the rest of the packed house for about 15 minutes.  Then things actually started getting confusing.  From the best I could gather, a song may have been started too fast, so Burgess abruptly stopped the song and said he wouldn't start it again, to move on to the next song.  The following song was probably cut short as well, based on Burgess' comments that the band likes to stop before the song is over, whenever they feel like it.  Obviously there was some sort of discontent on stage, but as an audience member I heard nothing wrong the performance.  If something was too fast or too short, I would have never known.  About a minute into the next song, Burgess put his guitar down and started singing in and out of a falsetto voice something akin to "Don't fuck with my song, la la la la la, Don't fuck with my beat, la la la," (etc. etc. with many profanities and unintelligible mocking.)  At this point, bassist Blair Munden took his bass off his back, threw it to the ground and walked right out the door and out of sight somewhere down 21st street.  Second guitarist Mark Perron stopped playing and everyone in the room looked confused as the song came to a halt.  "I think we've played this room one too many times" muttered Rangel as he got up and followed suit out the door.  Burgess continued "I think Boneske just broke up, folks," and then picked his guitar back up and continued playing and singing a couple Boneske songs by himself.

Not sure where to go from here, magically a hip-hop beat came from the PA and Burgess began his infamous freestyle rapping which I'd seen on one occasion before.  Included in this free-form were plenty of jabs (on his band?), general flowing of how great of a flow-er his is, and a reference to his pubes complete with flashing of said pubes and a portion of what lies below them.  As I said in the intro, I  was confused, entertained, somewhat amused, and disappointed all at the same time.  Part of me wondered if it had all been staged. I definitely hoped that was the case.  But the rest of Boneske never showed back up, at least not as long as I was there.  Before this incident, my one complaint about Boneske was that they do not have any recorded music available (POST UPDATE: I was wrong, see link below), but I was happy to hear the news earlier that night that they planned a recording session in New York City later this very month.  Will that happen?  I hope so.  Is Boneske over?  Please don't let it be.  I hope these guys can work out whatever their problems are, get that recording done, and return to the stage.  Also guys, more than one single song would be fantastic, if you can manage.  You are one of the most truly original and carefree bands in the area and although you may not be the world's most accessible cup of tea, you score high for many fans here in the 757.

Check out the music:
Peak: https://soundcloud.com/peakmusic-2
Honorary Girl: http://honorarygirl.bandcamp.com/
Boneske: http://www.boneske.com  (thanks Bobby for sending this link, I wasn't aware of the Magnets EP that is available on the website)

The Framers at PFAC Art After 5

I've heard it said that Tom Petty is an artist that music fans from all walks can agree is good.  This post has nothing to do with Tom Petty, but I concur and would propose after their show at Peninsula Fine Arts Center that the Hampton Roads band The Framers are also a band that EVERYONE can agree on!  That being said, I must submit a disclaimer before I go any further.  The Framers have the most beautiful bassist in the world, and very luckily for me she happens to be my wife, Maria H. Thomas.  Obviously I am biased heavily towards this band, but listening to them in a crowd of all ages, I cannot imagine how anyone could hear and watch this band and despise it.  Alt-Country/Americana Rock may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the ingredients that make up The Framers are natural and basic enough that it just feels basic and natural to enjoy them.

What are these magical, musical ingredients?  Start with the beat.  Rather than employing a drummer behind a kit, The Framers' front man Matt Scruggs uses his right foot to pound the kick drum while lead string man Mike Howland does the same with a hi-hat/tambourine combo.  That's it for the percussion section, and this is accomplished while the guys simultaneously play their guitars, or whatever stringed instrument Howland happens to be playing.  As a result, the beat is typically a very simple pattern, about as simple as rhythm patterns get.  For you musicians, this means kick on beats 1 and 3 and hi-hat on beats 2 and 4.  Not always, but very often.  This is far from a bad thing.  It is an instinctive pulse that is familiar to all humans who were born into the world of modern music.  I can say this with confidence because my nephew, who is barely over one year old, was spotted correctly stomping his foot in time along with Scrugg's kick while the Framers played PFAC Thursday evening.  Amazing!

Adding to the simplistic foundation of the band, Maria is admittedly and proudly a simplistic bassist.  Again, this is an enhancement to The Framers' sound rather than a drawback, as her lines and rhythms sync perfectly with Scrugg's steady kick drum thumping.  She rarely brings her walking lines to the forefront of attention and instead lays back to provide a rock solid bottom end that solidifies the hard-hitting yet uncomplicated rhythm section.  It works fantastically and only an ego-addled bass shredder would say otherwise.

Then, of course, there are the songs themselves.  Scruggs' songwriting stands on its own.  I'd pay to see him perform these songs solo and acoustic because I know they would still shine.  From a technical music theory standpoint, most of the songs do not break into new musical territory that has never been heard before ( I said MOST ... I am particularly fond of "Bad Taste" where Scruggs and Howland build tension and groove based on an accidental wrong chord played during a late-night drunken jam session, but that's another story!).  The fact remains: a great song is still a great song even if it follows a chord progression that has been done hundreds of times before.  The structures, melodies, and lyrics are delightful and fresh, and the familiarity only helps the songs to work their way into your head where they will be stuck for days on end.

And finally we have the delicious icing.  While Scruggs stays put on rhythm guitar, Howland switches instruments between most songs.  Whether it is banjo, mandolin, or electric guitar, his lead work is incredibly suiting and adds the necessary texture to the already solid foundation described above.  You may not see him shred quite as hard and fast and loud as in his other successful band, Broken Mouth Annie (which Scruggs is also drummer), but his consciousness of what he is enhancing is clear and he knows how to switch gears appropriately.  From the simple yet driving banjo on "Blue Nightgown" to the rowdy mandolin romp on "It's Mutual" the variety keeps The Framers' repertoire sounding diverse and interesting.

The show at PFAC was part of the center's "Art after 5" series, and was very well attended.  Glancing around during The Framers' set, the room was all smiles.  The age group was about as widespread as it gets and everyone seemed to truly appreciate what they were hearing. It's those basic instinctive ingredients that please us humans' ears, I tell you!  Keep an eye out for The Framers and check them out the first chance you get!