The little record label that can from New Brunswick, NJ sold out the Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday night showcasing what Don Giovanni does best; allow artists to be themselves and have a good time doing it.
Byrds of Paradise opened the show and sped through a quick set of their distorted indie/pop/punk rock. One thing most of these bands have in common is a vibe that straddles between all out flailing and sunshiny sing-a-longs, some spent more time on one side or the other, but the combo seems to be a staple for everyone who played.
The Buffalo, NY band Lemuria took over next and showed real promise with their groovy start/stop tunes and male/female split vocals that waltzed around the hall on songs like “Wise People”. The proceedings were catchy but a weirdly mic’ed snare drum was distracting, giving an empty/thin sound to some quieter moments; tough to be sure if this was intentional or not.
The duo of Shellshag took the stage next and faced each other to collectively bang out their 80’s inspired fuzz rock. The minimalist structure while playing for each other was cute and escalated when they were rolling around all over the stage. The energy and passion was obviously present but sonically things were muddled, their covers (Liz Phair’s “Fuck and Run” in particular) were inspired but overall it just seemed to be a bit more of a party night for the group, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the adoring crowd.
The biggest surprise of the evening came in the form of Laura Stevenson & The Cans, whose huge vocals captivated the rambunctious revelers. Stevenson sang heartfelt lyrics accompanied by tons of “ooh’s and aah’s” that floated ahead of multi layered guitars from The Cans, who backed with a tight grace. The tunes were dramatic, maybe a bit heavy on the peaks and valleys, but also managed to convey delicacy in their quiet lush soundscapes before the headliners turned the amp levels way way up.
The obvious draw for tonight’s showcase were the Screaming Females whose combo of arena riff assaults buoyant bass lines and rumbling drums make them one of the best outfits in rock and roll today.
The crowd went ballistic and it was great to see kids getting back in the mosh-pit spirit for this energetic trio who shined via the expansively explosive “Lights Out”, hip shaking vocal fluttering riff filled “I Don’t Mind It” and set closer thump of “Boss” which found the group leaving the stage in sonic tatters with feedback and pedals.
Marissa Paternoster’s six string dynamics are jaw dropping and while her solos gain top billing, her rhythm riffs are just as vital combining with the low-end tonight who was spine shattering. One example would be King Mike and Jarrett Dougherty causing the walls to shake with the thundering “Fall Asleep”. Truly a ‘group’ in every sense, whose interwoven fluidity and natural sounding ferocity makes them a joy in the live setting. The band’s encore of “Bell” found stage-divers taking flight while exuberant youths expressed themselves in everyway and direction possible, or simply put; Rock & Roll
