I like to consider myself a consumer of new or indie music, but when you get down to it, all I’m really consuming is bands that have already made it into some obscure review on some indie website or podcast. These are bands that tons of people know about. I guess they’re indie in the sense they don’t have a record label (which is the definition of indie, derived from the term independent), but than what do we call a band that has no album or label? Don’t matter really, was just wondering.
As I was saying; I like to consider myself a consumer of new or indie music, so what sort of music guy would I be if I didn’t accept invites to see truly indie bands. A friends friends band was playing last night at The Horseshoe Tavern in downtown Toronto, so with a little effort I got myself out of the house and downtown for the 11:30 start of their set. If I didn’t read the bands name on the web, or ask some folks what the band was called, I never would have gotten the name right. For those keeping score they are called Mode Land Roads. I don’t even want to get into other variations I thought I heard, and will henceforth call them MLR.
MLR has an interesting sound. Take some Black Crowes, add a little Allman Brothers, and a splash of light funk. Is it good? well, I don’t see them making it mainstream, but I will say one song was pretty interesting. The band consisted of 4 guys (two guitars, a bass and a drummer) and a girl that stood off to the side of the stage. She was holding what looked like a lyric book, and asking around revealed she’s not typically part of the band. I’m not really sure why she needed the lyric book because all she did was moan and howl. I suspect it was so she would know at what point in the song she was to moan and howl. I kept waiting for her to break into verse, but she seemed content to just make inaudible noises. No Stars moment to be found.
MLR was better than the band that opened for them, and I can see them making it on the bar scene, but I don’t know if they have ‘it’ to make it in the indie scene. If they brush up on their stage presence, and work on their look, work on their sound, and let the audience hear their lyrics they might tweak some marginal interest.
I hope their new van wasn’t expensive.
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