Last Night: Oblio Duo, Vitamins and the Pseudo Dates Thursday, May 1, 2008 Larimer Lounge
The Pseudo Dates took to the stage with a good-time vibe that was strangely contagious, so contagious that your goodly, cynical bastard reviewer started to feel the urge to dance. With guitarist Nathan and bassist Suzi trading off, and sometimes harmonizing with vocals, the Pseudo Dates, played with a joyous abandon reminiscent of Beat Happening. Even when they slowed down the good times, the band still sounded cohesive and uplifting. Ending with a rocker that at one point stole the melody from some jam off of Led Zeppelin I, Pseudo Dates brought both the rock and a smile to my face. Check them out.
Vitamins, veered off on a completely different path. While the Pseudo Dates established a tight cohesive sound, Vitamins sounded like they were still trying to find theirs. Again, with the dueling Male/Female vocals the band had potential for some real interesting moments, but those were squandered when the vocals went flat, or the drummer overextended himself on some of the softer moments. A couple bright spots were an extended country number that the band all came together on, and when singer Lizzy Allen split between her vocals and harmonica.
Forgetting for a second that it was 40 degrees outside, Oblio Duo, augmented tonight with the Archers, played a set that would’ve been better fit for a 80-degree backyard barbeque. Ramshackle in a way that works all too well, Oblio Duo/Archers started off their set with a couple of numbers that seemed to hang in mid-air, soon enough the good times took over and the band split the rest of its time between some rockers, and more traditional banjo-fueled numbers. Rootsy in a way that defies description, Oblio Duo/Archers made for a great exclamation at the end of a night of local music. -- Jeremy Brashaw
Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: I like the addition of the Archers to the Oblio Duo sound. Random Detail: In what had to be one of the stranger line-ups for them, Miami hardcore band Capsule got tacked on to the show at the last minute and played after Oblio Duo/Archers. Hilarious. By the Way: Vitamins will be celebrating their record release, Calliope at the Walnut Room, May 17th.
