It is late spring, which means that country music showcases are returning from their winter break. Grand Ole Echo is currently in Season XX and you can read my recent post on one of their weekly Sunday shows here. Also up and running at Frogtown Brewery is Bigtop Bandstand, which I believe is a monthly Saturday event.
 |
| The What Four at Frogtown Brewery |
Headlining the Bigtop Bandstand night was The What Four. Got to go straight to the moment of the set. It was mentioned that the drummer was playing his second set of the day. He had arrived just in time from Pasadena after playing the Just Like Heaven festival. That fake announcement caught the drummer off guard who was in the midst of drinking his beer. He ended up spitting out a significant percentage of his beer all over his kit.
 |
| The What Four at Frogtown Brewery |
This band’s music takes it’s inspiration from the 1950s / 1960s. Some songs like "Jack the Ripper" could fit perfectly as a theme song for any of the quirky TV comedies from that era. Others like their final song of the set, "One Fine Day" could be a high school prom theme song. Even their cover of The Sonics' "Strychnine" hit it out of the era ball park.
Their hour long set had people dancing throughout. And there were special moments where strangers made friends with dogs at the dog friendly outdoor venue.
The Sea Monks had a blend of country and rock n roll. Their music was highlighted by the deep bass vocals of their lead vocalist Noah Kapchinske.
 |
| The Sea Monks at Frogtown Brewery |
I loved how they took their music and expanded them into long riffs. I noticed their setlist was rather lengthy, but I suspect they played only half the songs due to the fact that they expanded the length of a number of songs that they did play. Their song “Gasoline” was highlighted by a solo effort by Kapchinske on guitar. That had me focusing on his guitar, which I noticed had various coins glued to the body. From what I could tell, not all were US currency. A coin collector?
 |
| The Sea Monks at Frogtown Brewery |
Kapchinske was not the only soloist. I noticed a little communication going on during one song between Kapchinske and drummer / brother Jonah Kai Kapchinske. Just a moment later the drums were the focus. The set ended with loud applause.
Opening up the night was R.J. Bloke (of Patrolled By Radar). He is the brainchild behind Bigtop Bandstand. His sound is country with a forlorn feel. One such song that explores this is “Fast Life Slow Death.”
 |
| R.J. Bloke at Frogtown Brewery |
of my past life
here's to my fast life
and my slow death
 |
| R.J. Bloke at Frogtown Brewery |
Perhaps a song that is both a homage and a regret to those younger years. The song was written in 2011. How have those reflections changed as of 2025?
No comments:
Post a Comment