By ANDREW FICKES
To the handful of night owls that burned the midnight oil last Thursday night at the Crocodile and stayed until the very end of the four-band lineup, I congratulate you.
You saw something unlike anything else that was performed at any other
TO THE SEA, Seattle’s rising DIY indie rock quintet led by principal songwriter Danny Payne on guitar and vocals, executed perfectly every single note and nuance of Thom Yorke’s masterpiece—hitting it out of the park and bringing the house down. The encore song for the group was so good, the audience (not surprisingly) begged for a second encore.
TO THE SEA delivered an equally satisfying piece: a Danny Payne original called “Majority Monster” about war and peace in the 21st century.
June 10 at the Crocodile for TO THE SEA was a milestone for the band, which scored its first headlining show at the premiere
Equal celebration was also deserving of opening band Great Waves, which were recently awarded the 9th annual EMP Sound Off First Place Prize. That’s right, these experimental rockers are under 21.
June 10 was Great Waves’ first show at the Crocodile. Led by the haunting under-your-skin vocals of Ashley Bullock, Great Waves presented “mood” music perfectly suited for any sophisticated movie soundtrack. Songs reflected their undeniable influences: Radiohead and Sigur Ros.
The opening song of their set came off their first released EP “Blue Blood.” Heavily layered by moody organ over bass and drums, at parts musically it sounded like some unreleased Bob Dylan track from the “Time Out of Mind” album.
Bullock, with her enchanting voice, made for a very meditative beginning to the overall show. Throughout Great Waves’ performance, the flow from song to song tended to be uneven but without a doubt, the band’s craftsmanship and musicianship and love for songwriting in its most pure form dominated the set. This band has huge promise.
Unfortunately, Bullock announced with unease that this was one of their last few shows before they ended the band and started college.
Lead singer of Brier Rose, a band third in the lineup, summarized quite succinctly what probably most the audience felt.
“I think Great Waves should rethink ending their band,” he said. “It’s your choice. It’s your funeral.”
Upcoming shows for Great Waves include a featured spot Saturday, June 26 along the 26.2 mile Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, which starts on Interurban Avenue in Tukwila and ends in celebratory fashion at Qwest Field where 90s alternative rock group Tonic will perform a free show to the public. Great Waves and dozens of other local bands, one at every mile, will be exposed to some 28,000 runners from across the country and around the world.
The most surprising act of the evening was Chief, a band hailing from
Chief performs road tested music worthy of any large amphitheater or arena. In about a week, this group is set to perform
Brier Rose went on third. The lead singer reminded me of Tom Chaplin of Keane. His infatuation with his voice was obvious. He has a nice voice, but he doesn’t use it well. Instead of using it for purposes of rock music, he wastes it by singing song after song of choirboy music. Think Coldplay and Keane without substance and melody.
So, when Brier Rose finally ended its mediocre set, the audience was very much ready for TO THE SEA. It was truly TO THE SEA’S evening. They owned the night.
The guys appeared very comfortable on stage, especially Payne, who, during the show, threw out his tambourine to the audience. In later cuts, that person chimed the tambourine…fortunately she could keep a beat.
Next on TO THE SEA’S shows is an afternoon gig at the Fremont Fair next Saturday, June 19 at 5:30 p.m. Go to www.myspace.com/totheseaband to check out update band info and new tracks from this very satisfying indie band.
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