He & She have been making a point of seeing more local, live music lately. Radio Radio has made a valiant attempt to shed its previous reputation for providing glowing reviews of bands whose music did not deliver on the promise of the articles. Or maybe RR's booking guy just likes everything. Either way, we've made it a semi-regular destination in the past few months, and we recently ventured out to catch a band that had intrigued He & She because of its particular make-up. Drummer consists of - yep, you guessed it - a collection of drummers from various bands playing other instruments (except for, well, the actual drummer). It was begun by the drummer for the Black Keys, and their debut release was put out on the Keys' label. Sadly, on this particular night at least, this band just wasn't very good. I hadn't read much more than the basics on the band, so I guess I assumed a band comprised of percussionists and calling themselves Drummer would be fairly groove-oriented, especially with the Keys' funky blues-heavy drummer plucking on the bass. Alas, Drummer has settled for the staid sounds of pop-garage bands across the country, and their vocalist's strained and off-key delivery made them sound more garage than pop.
This would have been a sad return to the days of underwhelming music viewed on the advice of overwrought reviews had it not been for the opener. Another band on the Keys' label was along for the Drummer ride, yet they are far superior in every department. Royal Bangs is a rollicking good time, with a lead singer pulling double- and even triple-duty in a variety of ways. In fact, they'd fit the moniker of Drummer better than the act they supported because their sound is heavily percussive. It's also dreamy garage rock made from the heart. As they sweat through their set, their energy continued to elevate the crowd. I'm always pleased to find a gem, and Royal Bangs is definitely one. Their singer's Zach Galifianakis looks and earnest indie-rock vocal stylings lend a nice DIY aesthetic, and then his talents go on to round out a talented crew of musicians.
I even picked up their most recent album, and a few listens prompted me to pick up their first a couple days later. They have an infectious sound; sometimes a little funky and sometimes just rock. And on this particular night, very entertaining. I recommend some youtube and Rhapsody research. But skip the Drummer.
