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Deerpen drummer Courtney Morris sure knows how to celebrate a birthday. Thursday night's show at 1078 Gallery included a burlesque show, some tasty complimentary cupcakes, three other local bands and Deerpen's farewell performance.
Though his former band would say goodbye later in the show, Morris' new band, The Affair, was just getting started. Playing its first show, the band sped through a brief but promising set of well-written material in the indie-rock vein. Comprised of Morris and guitarist Matt Martin, both from Deerpen; lead singer/guitarist Ryan Maker, formerly of Squirrel vs. Bear; and bassist Ryan Laine, the group has talent to spare and will likely make a quick name for itself around town. A highlight was the band's tremolo-heavy cover of Fiona Apple's "Sleep to Dream."
The Shankers were next to take the stage. The band is inspired by '50s rockabilly heroes, such as Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochran, mixed with a healthy dose of punk rock. With its smoke machine and lead singer Johnny Shanker's black cape and thick black glasses, the band's concert would seem more appropriate in a small, darkly lit club rather than on the brightly lit gallery stage. Fans didn't seem to mind, as the band played through an entertaining set of rowdy originals and a nice cover of The Specials' "Gangsters."
My only complaint was with the volume of the guitar, which was turned down way too low in the mix. By the time Machinegreen began to play, the gallery was packed. Performing with new drummer Clint Bear, Machinegreen has a sound all its own. Boiling an extensive amount of influences down to a simple yet effective formula, the band's quickly strummed riffs - possessing a droning, almost sinister quality to them - counteract nicely with the danceable beats and catchy melodies.
Guitarist Evan Sanchez's occasional synthesizer lines added a definite '80s feel to satisfying effect. The band had people singing along with favorites such as "Tattoo," and it even managed to throw in an unexpected cover of Echo & the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon."
The next hour or so was devoted to a burlesque show, performed by some beautiful and scantily clad women from the Crux Artist Collective, Origin Tribal Belly Dance and Chikoko. The show started really strong, as a couple of well-performed routines, set to everything including Parisian accordion music and more-modern dance tracks, effectively set the mood and got the crowd hooting and hollering.
From there, however, the performances just went on a little too long - not to discredit the performers, as the show was well-conceived and creatively choreographed. But what began as a nice change of pace from the night's concerts soon seemed to make some people start checking their watches.
As interesting as the 15-minute midshow poetry reading may have been in another context, the consensus seemed to be one of confusion. Despite gripes with its length, the show seemed to go over well, for the most part.
Soon after the clock struck midnight and Morris' birthday became official, he again stepped behind the drum set to perform with his longtime band, local favorite Deerpen, in what would be the band's final performance. Perhaps influenced by the bittersweet sense of nostalgia that seemed to permeate the room, the band appeared to be having a great time, running through a loose-and-playful set of original songs and covers as loyal fans sang along and danced one last time. Led by the wide-range vocal abilities of lead singer/guitarist Rett Mathews, Deerpen's songs evoke the moody verses and anthem choruses of bands such as Muse, or early Radiohead, without any hint of pretentiousness. The band's spot-on version of the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" had people swing dancing and shouting along in unison. Chico bands come and go, but Deerpen is one that many fans will miss for quite a while.
Landon Moblad can be reached at
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