It could be the tryptophan, the result of a Thanksgiving weekend that exposed us to more of this amino acid than usual but tonight's shows were relatively sedate, some would say boring. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone to share this sentiment among the Bimbo's crowd: all tables were taken well before the opening band The Advantage came onstage, and the floor was already packed when The Album Leaf made their appearance. From where I sat, the small stage appeared to be cluttered with various instruments and equipment to be used/shared by the three bands on the bill. I had never seen any of them live before and my anticipation was based on my appreciation of their recent albums and friends' recommendations. The glut of instruments hinted at musical impressiveness. Erm, read on.
The Advantage strolled onstage sometime after nine and my immediate reaction was their resemblance to CCR. They were not what I expected from a cover band that hails itself as an "8bit Nintendo band--serious dudes that rock with good nintentions." Pullover sweaters and thick-rimmed glasses, yes; long hair and beards, no. Hirsuteness aside, The Advantage launched into a series of songs that I did not recognize. At all. Well, the only one that I remembered was Castlevania and only because one of the band members announced it beforehand. The re-interpretation of songs originally dominated by synthesizers by a live band that featured none was novel at first. But I'm thinking that the novelty only works if you have a frame of reference. I obviously suffered from a Nintendo-deficient childhood, and I could feel the tryptophan kicking in.
My friends and I decided to leave the comfort of our table to check out The Album Leaf from the crowded floor. Primarily a one-man outfit consisting of Jimmy Lavalle, tonight featured additional musicians on drums, bass, guitar, and even xylophone. The set opened with "Window," the first track from the album "In a Safe Place." It was a lovely bit of lap-pop that set the mood for the rest of the set, one of serene beauty. To supplement the calming effect of the music, images such as autumnal scenes and birds' silhouettes were projected on the screen behind them. Jimmy never strayed from behind the keyboards and he offered only one song with vocals, "TwentyTwoFourteen" which features the line "You whisper to make a sound." After witnessing the delicacy in their set, it seems appropriate to say that any sound above a whisper would be jarring.
The night would have ended nicely if we closed with The Album Leaf, but I insisted on staying for Pinback, a band fronted by fellow San Diegans Rob Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV. I like their recent release "Summer in Abaddon" and figured it would translate well live. Well, whatever calmness that The Album Leaf lulled into me became indifference as their set wore on. I can't recall what the first couple of songs were, quite possibly drawn from their earlier material that I'm not too familiar with, and it could also be that I was ready for something rousing after the first two bands, but Pinback's brand of sometimes moody guitar-pop wasn't delivering tonight. A monotony set in early on and they just started to sound the same after a while. Eventually we reached a consensus and left not long after the fifth (?) song, the title track of the new album.
So while the night at Bimbo's wasn't a complete bust, with moments of nostalgic amusement for some and calming loveliness for most, there was no arguing the lack of interest by the time Pinback rolled around. Maybe I'll take the easy way out and claim the turkey defense to justify our early exit. Or maybe not.
BEER RATING: 4 Beers
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