Upbeat indie rock's best - also known as OK Go, Army of Me and Spiraling - joined forces on the Black Cat's mainstage Saturday night, and proved that three admittedly different bands can come together for an absolutely seamless show. OK Go and Spiraling, who are currently finishing a tour together, were joined by local D.C. rockers Army of Me for what was, without a doubt, one of the snappiest and upbeat shows the Black Cat has seen in a while.
Spiraling, a currently unsigned band from New Jersey, opened the show to a half-full venue with its brand of modern rock infused with synth-pop that comes in the form of lead singer Tom Brislin's two keyboards. Brislin's vocals, combined with the backup vocals from bassist Bob Hart and guitarist Marty O'Kane, are melodic and clear, and are Spiraling's strongest aspect. The band played several songs off its most recent album, "Transmitter," but concluded its set with a lively rendition of Devo's "Whip It."
Spiraling's set was energetic and focused, and the band has an everyday, unpretentious feel that reassures the listener that it has no other purpose than to play music, and play it well.
D.C.-based indie band Army of Me followed Spiraling's set. Army of Me, who is also currently unsigned, has built a strong following of fans across the East Coast, but it is clear that the band is most well-loved in its hometown. Army of Me exhibited its ever-impressive stage presence, playing a mixture of old and new material, to a not-so-surprisingly large group of screaming fans.
After a refreshingly fast set change, Chicago-based pop-rockers OK Go burst onstage with lead singer Damian Kulash bouncing up and down and yelling "What's up D.C.?" to a now full house. OK Go is like a down-to-earth boy band that can actually sing and play instruments; it is evident that Kulash and crew are up there as much for the sake of the performance as for the music. Its members are an eclectic group of musicians whose differences appear to work well together. The hippest member is certainly bassist Tim Nordwind, who is completely bald except for sideburns and whose singing voice leads one to believe that he may never have hit puberty.
OK Go played a rousing set that included several new songs that may be included on the band's next album, due this summer. The clear crowd-pleaser, however, was not a new song. "Get Over It," one of the band's most popular songs, had one solitary fan in the front holding up his lighter. The crowd was so enlivened by this particular song that Kulash commented, "Man, maybe we should just play that song all night."
Rather than simply get on stage and play its music, OK Go did its best to keep things interesting. During a cover of Toto's "Hold the Line" Kulash brought a friend onstage to play keyboards, and to liven things up during a so-called "love song," called two random and "single" audience members to the stage to slow dance, telling them that the two rules to slow dancing are "proximity and hips."
These antics were nothing compared to OK Go's encore. The four band members took part in a completely choreographed "boy band" dance number to a pre-recorded song, after which it was clear that no audience member felt that their night was wasted.
It is a good night when three such enthusiastic bands with no pretensions can ally for a nearly flawless and obviously crowd-pleasing show. And it is an even better night when the members of all three bands hang out by their merchandise booths after the show to sign autographs for nervous, and mostly female, fans for as long as necessary. If this reflects the current state of the indie rock scene, music critics have nothing to worry about.
Interview with Spiraling
Spiraling's lead singer and keyboardist Tom Brislin, guitarist Marty O'Kane and drummer Paul Wells justified their spot as a top up-and-coming modern rock band in the independent music scene in an interview with The Eagle.
The Eagle: How did Spiraling get together? Tom Brislin: When I was a teenager I started a band called You Were Spiraling. A lot of musicians from New Jersey, which is where I'm from, came in and out of the band and it was a very experimental type of project. Over the years one person stuck with it, and that would be Bob Hart, our bass player. I went to college with Paul, our drummer, and Marty, our guitar player - we met through the local music scene in New Brunswick, N.J. About a year and a half ago this line up came together and it has stuck.
The Eagle: Is there a distinct difference between You Were Spiraling and Spiraling? Paul Wells: There was in the beginning. The first album [as You Were Spiraling] especially and the second album was still kind of different. By You Were Spiraling's third album it was kind of becoming Spiraling.
The Eagle: Do you see You Were Spiraling and Spiraling as one band or as two different bands? Brislin: The energy's a lot different. As soon as Marty joined the band, that's when we set out to start sort of from a clean slate. Marty O'Kane: I think there is still some degree of continuity ... We do incorporate some of that music into the newer stuff. But there's a different feel to it and I think that's what brought about the name change.
The Eagle: Do you have the same fans from when you were You Were Spiraling? O'Kane: I think that's part of the continuity. Wells: Most of the old fans have stuck with us, but I think we've made a lot more fans.
The Eagle: Where is most of your fan base? Brislin: It is, to a degree, centered around New Jersey, but we try to tour as much as an independent band can manage. There are places we love to keep coming back to.
The Eagle: How has being from New Jersey influenced you? O'Kane: I think most people would get out a certain cultural stereotype when they think of New Jersey and there is that strain. I think at the same time there is a different strata kind of rebelling against it. I think we belong to that.
The Eagle: What else influences you? Brislin: It's interesting because I have influences as a songwriter and as a singer and as a keyboard player and they all kind of converge somehow. Wells: We each have our own individual instrument ... my favorite drummer or Marty's favorite guitarist. But then there are also bands, that it might not be my favorite drummer, but is one of my favorite bands. It you could only pick one, maybe the Beatles, but that's what everybody says.
The Eagle: Who writes your songs? Brislin: I write the songs. There are no rules that I have, like I definitely write the lyrics first or the music first, but whatever comes first, it comes at the worst possible times. Like while I'm driving or where I'm not able to jot the idea down. I'm usually calling my own voicemail and leaving ridiculous messages, singing like a fool.
The Eagle: Why do you play two keyboards onstage? Brislin: I just like to have a variety of different sounds coming out around me, whatever fits the song. Basically, one of them is for the meat and potatoes, like the piano and the organ, kind of the backbone of it, and the other one is the more spacey, synthesizer-type sound. If we had tons of time to set up every night, I'd probably have a lot more stuff too.
The Eagle: What are you working on now? O'Kane: We're currently demo-ing some new songs. Brislin: In between the tours ... we're demo-ing a lot. 2003 was a pretty heavy year for me so I wrote a lot of music and there's a lot to catch up with.
The Eagle: What would you like to happen in your career? Brislin: We want to play everywhere, all the time. We would like [to sign to a label] if the deal is right. If it's somebody who cares about music and cares about musicians. We like the idea of making videos and touring internationally.
The Eagle: What do you think makes your music unique? Brislin: It's good rock 'n' roll with some twists, memorable melodies and lyrics that might mean something. And it sounds good in your car.
