I decided to challenge myself and go see music that was not punk, and some of it not very loud, and overall may never inspire a mosh pit.
I arrived at the Ivy Room smack in the middle between Christmas and New Years Eve and within moments found myself the only person standing to watch Anna Jae. The crowd skewed older and everyone had found a seat, but I guess I didn’t get the sit-down memo. As it is, I’m used to moving around when I hear music.
Anna Jae played a plug-in acoustic guitar and was accompanied on a Les Paul by Gabe Gunn. She smiled the whole time, and most of her songs were upbeat even when singing about relationships ending or having ended. I took this as a sign that she was really enjoying playing the Ivy Room, which is completely understandable. There were Christian overtones to some of her lyrics, especially in songs like “Going to Church Hungover” or “An Angel and a Devil on My Shoulder”. Gunn had some great guitar chops that really built out the sound, and the two of them had sweet vocal harmonies.
As their set was progressing, a steady stream of people started coming into the club. The next band, Spider Garage, hadn’t played in five years, and all their fans came out to witness their return. They used to be a four piece but are now a three-piece with Scott Quay on vocals and guitar alongside a bassist and drummer. They played rock with infectious guitar riffs, smooth bass lines, and straight-forward drums with plenty of snare and hi-hat. Quay had a gruff voice which contrasted well with his clear guitar tone. The song “Closer” had a Peter Gunn-like intro and an overall rockabilly vibe. The songs were catchy and fun, and their fans had a blast welcoming them back.
Once they finished playing, a lot of the audience left. That is a damn shame, because they missed some very original music from Uromastyx. As this four piece started setting up, I was stunned to see someone take out a violin. Since the band describes themselves as alt rock, I was curious how the instrument would work with their sound. Then I noticed the drum kit was decked out with percussion, resembling a metallic Christmas tree. Jon Schickman, the guitarist and vocalist, came on stage with the smallest electric guitar I’ve seen, apparently a Parker Fly, which also caught my attention.
Each musician brought impressive skill, and the combination made for a fantastic sound. Ryan Butler kept a great, loping melodic violin going, Kevin Williams had a lively bass style, Craig Alamo played some delightfully surprising beats and Jon’s expressive, animated presence and guitar wizardry brought it all together. From what I could see, Shickman didn’t use a guitar pick, something I haven’t often witnessed in rock guitar playing. He had an impressive use of tapping on “All Around It’s What I’ve Found”, a song that had each member finding their own groove before ending in unison. “If Not Man But Frog” began with Williams and featured a great bass-driven sound.
I have never heard any band that sounded remotely like Uromastyx and was captivated by their unique approach. It was a nice end of the year surprise, and yes, fun can be had at a moderate volume level. Shocking!
Review and photos by Artemis Jones
Photo of Uromastyx by Nancy Thomas
