Show Review: Dent May @ Red 7 (9.13)

I didn’t really know what to expect on the evening of the Dent May show.  There were tons of great bands playing, both local and traveling, so I wondered if people would turn out for Dent; turn out they did, buoyed by travelers from Ole Miss…leaving him with a home away from home show.

You can read further for my thoughts and Brian’s photos.

I was really impressed by the local acts that opened up the evening, Hola Beach and Growl.  They both did a great job offering a variety of sounds to the audience, which had already filled half-way up.  Hola Beach seemed to be creating a lo-fi blend of shoegaze, and their wall of sound was rather impressive, though I will say that I think the vocals could be worked on…if you’re looking for areas of improvement.  Growl, on the other hand, just rocked out with a huge amount of energy and pop tunes that backed up the idea that they’re soon to make a big splash in our small Austin pond.  In all honesty, at points I thought both acts had moments where they could easily have challenged the headliners for popularity and skill.

Dead Gaze took to the stage next, and the group is essentially Dent May’s backing band, plus one.  They’ve got a heavier sound, though they do tend to blend in some soft vocals to appeal to my pop palate.  At times, the guitars might have been too loud, bleeding over the melodies that lay hidden beneath their songs.  That being said, I dug the energy, not to mention the flopping hair that went along with.  I think in the long run that the tunes are rather enjoyable, though a bit of focus wil go far in the near future.

And we ended our night with Dent May.  When I first caught him live, I was in love with his first LP, The Good Feeling Music…; he was charming and alone on the stage, but then he went all Bob Dylan and decided to plug in his guitar. Seeing him later, he seemed to be figuring out precisely where he would fit in with a full band, caught somewhere between the two.  That being said, this was not the same Dent May that took the stage in support of his recent record, Warm Blanket.  He was charming in his light banter, agile in his dance moves and musically marvelous.  His songs, both old and recent, provide audiences with a weird conundrum: do you take your lover for a slow spin around the dance floor or do you opt for a productive shimmy on the dance floor.  Either will do, and either are fun.  Such is the playful quality of Dent’s live performances, letting us all know we’ll have to come back for more.

There are a few more pics at the photo site…