THE RUNAWAY FIVE, MR. GNOME, SKETCHING IN STEREO
PLUSH
Friday, June 12
Tucsonans tend to take their sweet time getting to live shows. I
know this, because I’m the dork who’s always first in line. Therefore,
I was shocked when I arrived at Plush last Friday, and the back room
was abuzz with at least 70 people before the show began. Perhaps this
was a sign that the opening band, Sketching in Stereo, would blow my
mind.
I knew nothing about these young gents from Phoenix—and now I
fear I know too much. Each song of theirs could play over the closing
credits of any blockbuster superhero flick: They churn out glossy,
generic, arena-ready rock. Keyboardist Chris Romero provided creative
bass-y flourishes and seemed to be their glue. Perhaps if
super-polished lead vocalist Rob Howlett would’ve explored his
emotional depths with a screamo freak-out, it would’ve gotten my
attention; alas, everything was done strictly by the book. They’re
stellar musicians, but they seem to have boxed themselves into a
narrow, industry-compliant niche. I look forward to a future Sketching
in Stereo mold-busting performance.
Mr. Gnome consists of vocalist/guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer
Sam Meister from Cleveland. Their original indie-rock sound wildly
fluctuated between simplicity and complexity. Barille’s voice wavered
magnificently between innocence and angst, and her sometimes-frenetic,
sometimes-subtle guitar work was superb. Every bit of loud, jarring
fuzz, and every note that lingered delicately in space didn’t seem the
least bit contrived. Although it’s clear Barille and Meister are
thorough in their attention to detail, there’s clearly room for
improvisation, depending on what kind of night they’re having. Barille
stated that they almost had to cancel the gig due to her voice giving
out—and there’s no way the audience would’ve known if she hadn’t
clued us in.
Local pop-rockers The Runaway Five bring an energy to the Tucson
music scene that is contagious. It’s never easy to follow an act as
stunning as Mr. Gnome, but they’ve been in this position many times,
sharing the stage with an impressive list of local and national acts.
There’s a reason for this: They deliver the goods. Lead
singer/guitarist Zach Wolfenbarger emoted with both voice and
instrument, and Sarah Allen added spirited electro grooves on her
keyboards. Catch them when you’re able.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2009.
