What's more important when you're playing music: Pouring your heart into it, or being technically perfect?
Each of the bands that performed at Rachael's Cafe on Friday was committed to putting as much energy and life into their music as possible. Unfortunately, this also meant putting as much volume into their music as possible.
This wouldn't be a bad thing if it were still possible to hear the instruments and vocals blend to create a unified sound. But with every band member playing their instrument at high volume, the sound did not blend together well at all. Instead of working together as a band, each member seemed to be in competition with the others. Sometimes a drummer would be on top, sometimes a guitarist.
The vocalists were usually inaudible.The two warm-up bands, C omfort and The Post-Teens, consistently favored instrumentals over vocals. Be My Doppelganger started out balancing their instruments and voices fairly well, but that balance did not carry throughout the show. Near the end, their performance became more sloppy and less musically interesting.
However, there is something to be said for the force of pure enthusiasm. Be My Doppelganger seemed to know exactly what the crowd wanted. A miniature mosh pit formed in front of the stage, knocking over lead singer Matt Glick's microphone.
Comfort and The Post-Teens did a great job of warming up the audience, but Be My Doppelganger would have charmed the crowd anyway. Unlike the other bands, they did not rush through their set. Glick took the time to talk to the audience between songs. They announced the title of each song before playing it and asked if anyone in the audience had heard their music before. They were having a good time, hanging out with the audience instead of just performing for them.
Some of the songs might have improved if the band had rushed through them. If the crowd was excited about a song - and they usually were - Be My Doppelganger would draw it out, playing the same chords over and over until the live performance of the song was twice as long as the recorded version. The musical repetitiveness wasn't a problem for the audience, though. They were hooked as soon as Be My Doppelganger started playing.
None of these bands seemed well suited to the venue. Rachael's Cafe is cozy, with walls painted in earth tones and an assortment of old papier-mache art projects and potted plants. In my opinion, you can hang out at a comfortable cafe or attend a punk rock concert, but it might be best to do those two things separately. The crowd disagreed with me, though, and the show was definitely a success.
Post by Tori Fater
