Last Friday my friend and I saw Freelance Whales at this old blue collar bar turned venue/hipster haven. The bar itself is decent. Odd trinkets and gadgets pepper the dimly lit walls, while old Kung Fu movies play on an even older television. There was a pool table and pinball machine, so bonus points (no skeeball though Ian).
The venue was shockingly small. Nothing really captured my attention so I don't recall the stage to be anything amazing. But the music was certainly something. We only saw the last 2 of 3 bands, Animal Tropical and the aforementioned Whales of Freelance. Animal Tropical are a nutty band from Miami, FL. They sang in English, screamed in Spanish, and danced in drunk. They were a good live band but musically...eh.
Freelance Whales were next and they did not disappoint. The entire band bobbed and weaved through every song on their debut Weathervanes, often times switching instruments like a game of musical chairs. PUN INTENDED!
After the show both bands were very approachable, possibly because there was nowhere to hide in the tiny bar. Regardless, good first experience of two new bands and one new Kung Fu Necktie.
KFN, check.
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Animal Tropical Review
ReplyDeleteFor a while there, especially around the summer of 2008, you couldn't go to PS14 -- or any of those usual Miami local-oriented events -- without running into the Down Home Southernaires.Their name never made sense, but what did click was their sort of Talking Heads-esque absorption of world beat and indie rock, way before Vampire Weekend did it, and with a much more swampy feel. It was rock enough for the hipsters but crossed genres enough for the fringes of the Latin-fusion types.
Then, DHS suddenly disappeared... But wait! They resurfaced recently, with what appears to be exactly the same lineup, and a similar approach to sound. The new name is Animal Tropical, and as that group they released an EP in 2009 called Doom Years that shouldn't have been so slept on. You can download the whole thing for free over here at the Sweat Records blog.