Junius, Juarez, The Hundred Days
Plush, Friday, March 27
The Hundred Days, a soaring alterna-psych-pop outfit from San
Francisco, are like a younger, not-so-gothed-out version of everyone’s
favorite British sad bastards, The Cure.
The comparison isn’t made lightly. Vocalist/guitarist Jon Smith had
a way of elongating and twisting certain notes à la Robert Smith
(no, they aren’t related), while Marcus Keenan’s bass playing was the
most obvious connection between the two bands. It was equal parts
rhythm and melody, something far too few bands attempt—and even
fewer master. Guitarist/keyboardist Jimmy Chen rounded out the sound
with magnificent synth flourishes. (A friend and I were curious whether
their name has anything to do with The Cure’s “One Hundred Years.” Hmm
…) What distinguished The Hundred Days was their exquisitely catchy
melodies coupled with introspective lyrics, their complete lack of
pretension and an unassuming stage presence.
The only downer? This band should’ve been the headliner.
Local metal/shoegaze noisemakers Juarez took things to a new level
of loud. Vocalist/guitarist Dana Fehr, who runs sound at Plush when
he’s not tearing it up onstage, admitted his vox might not make it
through the set following an intense schedule at South by Southwest. No
matter; their intense (but not necessarily fast) bang-yer-head
instrumentals had everyone doing just that, leading to squeals and
grunts of joy from the many friends in attendance. Juarez formed less
than a year ago and has played only a handful of live dates around
town, but it’s clear they mean business. Their closing number, “Old
River Dry River,” distinctly showcased their potential, with more
intricate guitar work than anything else in their set. Be on the
lookout for Juarez.
Junius, with their huge amp stacks and rock-star backlighting,
reminded me of a tedious Interpol performance I witnessed a few years
back. It was difficult to see what the musicians were doing, and every
song bled into the next. These boys from Boston were initially
captivating, but it didn’t stick. While there’s an obvious formula to
the shoegaze/prog-rock genre, there’s plenty of room for creativity,
especially when it comes to live performances. Vocalist Joseph Martinez
has a haunting beauty in his voice, but unfortunately, the voice and
the guitar work sounded overly slick and far too safe. With a little
willingness to break the mold, these guys could be dangerous.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2009.
