Photos by Becky Long |
By Taylor Jones
The lights go dark
in the Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, and the sound of distant thunder rolls through
the bustling crowd. Drummer Celeste Spina and guitarist Anthony Catalano of Little
Hurricane storm the stage, sounding like they came from the Wild West with a
spin of modern rock n’ roll. They begin their set with a few heavy blues riffs
like those of The Black Keys, and have an intuitive musical connection like Meg
and Jack White. The duo shines in their vocal dialogue, which is enhanced by
the lyrical conversations between male and female characters. Additionally, their ghost-town vibe is displayed
by their withered amp cabinets, which are carved into both an old nightstand and a
suitcase.
After a few songs,
Catalano announces, “hopefully you all know this next one,” as he drifts into
the opening chords of Bill Withers’ classic “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Performing a
powerful rendition of the tune, Catalano mirrors the dark, sizzling guitar
tones of Jack White. Contrarily, Spina’s tempo fluctuates a bit more than it
should, jumping back and fourth between choruses, but retains livelihood through
her enthusiastic performance. At one point, Spina pulls out a mandolin and
begins to play drums at the same time, filling up a soundscape that many
two-person bands cannot match. They close with the song “Haunted Heart,” off their latest record Homewrecker, proving
successful in melding deep blues riffs with dance rock beats.
When tonight’s
headliner Heartless Bastards picks up where Little Hurricane left off, the
evening continues in the theme of no-holds-barred garage rock and blues jams. The
Bastards open with a surprisingly lack-luster song that doesn’t have a lot of
dynamic or compositional motion, however, once they hit their second tune, “Out At Sea,” from their 2009 album The
Mountain, they burst into a torrent of great songs, each one more
incredible that the last.
Erika Wennerstrom |
The authenticity in
Heartless Bastards’ records traverses into their live shows. Their albums are
not filled with needless processing or an overabundance of phony auto-tuning,
they are simply real musicians capable of performing on a higher level than
most, both in and out of the studio. So as they flow into “Simple Feeling” off
their latest record, Arrow, they
generate an excited atmosphere in the crowd. You can’t help but bounce around
to the rush of the song, and you find a purely emotional experience in watching
these musicians perfect their craft. It’s something that no one else has made –
and no one else can make it theirs – it belongs to Heartless Bastards, but just
for the night they are sharing their feelings about life, love, and lust, with
the rest of us.
Ebaugh and Colvin
are an incredibly tight bass and drum combination. They are always together,
and for tracks like “Got to Have Rock and Roll,” they hold it down steady while
Nathan and Wennerstrom lay floating riffs over the chorus. In pursuing his
Masters in Jazz Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, Colvin acquired a
tremendous amount of technique, allowing him to have thorough control of his
time and dynamics, and to blend smoothly with his fellow musicians.
Later, they play a
favorite song of mine, titled “Skin and Bone,” which is also off Arrow. In this telling performance,
Wennerstrom’s lyrics reflect her childhood memories of Dayton, Ohio, and how it
has changed since she has grown up. Wennerstrom and Nathans’ acoustic guitars
add to the country roots of this song, providing a feeling of nostalgia and
slight discontent as she describes her longing to leave her hometown.
Mark Nathan |
Setlist |
Contact:
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