Friday, August 29th. Tremont Music Hall. Charlotte, NC. Pictures are courtesy of Dianna Augustine Photography.
I had never been to Charlotte's Tremont Music Hall before. It is an all ages venue that starts shows pretty early and seemingly tries to get everything over with by midnight. LA Tool & Die took the stage at 9:30 and for the next 40 minutes rocked the place with a live show that was almost anthemic in nature and far surpasses anything I have ever heard on their recordings. Opening with "Jesus Saved Me at the Record Show" was quite entertaining considering the songs lyrics include, "I saved Elf Power and I'll save you." They played a couple of songs I don't think I've heard before, most notably, a number that was reminiscent of mid-90s freak rock with Boss Hog-like interplay between Lee & Emily. Emily sings, "I'm going to touch your mustache." Lee replies, "Don't touch my mustache." By the way, though cheesily funny, Lee sings the song using a unicorn hand puppet with a giant goofy mustache attached. "Bleep and a bleep and a bloop is all I have to say to you." They closed their set with a thunderous version of their 7" song "1983."
Emily & Travis from LA Tool & Die!
Elf Power got on stage around 10:20. Thier line-up was leader Andrew Rieger, Jimmy Hughes on guitar and some keyboards, Derek Almstead on bass, and their amazing drummer Eric Harris. A majority of the songs they played seemed to be from their more recent albums Back to the Web and In a Cave. Live they were really, really great. Very gutty and gritty and full of oomph. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Watching Derek Almstead's intricate work on bass in a live venue was a real treat. The sound system at Tremont was exceptional and you could really feel the bass move right through your body as Derek expertly drove the songs along. Also, Eric Harris blew me away with his constantly changing, intricate patterns on drums. One of the best drummers I have ever seen live. Their set lasted about an hour and highlights included a great version of "Spiral Stairs" and the beautiful, beautiful song "Come Lie Down With Me."
Jimmy, Derek, & Eric from Elf Power
All in all, a great night of music! If you get a chance to see either live, I strongly recommend you do so!ELF POWER
LA TOOL & DIE
DIANNA AUGUSTINE PHOTOGRAPHY
1 comment:
love, love, love la tool and die and am so glad they opened up for elf power. glad it was a good show.
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