'Twas a four-band bill. Venus Cures All, A-miniature, Versus, and Seam. All this entertainment for $5! This package tour was put together in support of the "Ear of the Dragon" compilation, which spotlights Asian-American musicians.
Venus Cures All, from Toronto, played first. They went on at about 9:30 p.m., which is pretty early by Chapel Hill standards. Therefore, they played to a big, empty Cat's Cradle. My roommate and I were the only people in front of the stage when they began. Everyone's loss, because they put on a good show -- They were definitely having fun. They could be described as sloppy-pop with some tough edges. Their drummer was somewhat insane -- a super-hyper guy beating the crap out of his drums. But, they had lots of good pop melodies with rocking music. Thumbs up.
A-miniature was next. I've never really been a fan of theirs. I like some of their stuff, but they seem to be unable to capture my attention. They're solid and pretty heavy at times, but the vocals get boring after a while -- they're not much for melody on most songs. It didn't help that Versus was coming on next, because I was thinking, "just be done so I can see Versus." Thumbs slightly down, but more to the side.
There was actually an added bonus in their set. The San Diego band Inch, who are friends of A-miniature, just happened to be nearby recording an album. When A-miniature's guitarist blew his amp, Inch got up and played a song on the others' instruments while the amp was being repaired. They must not have impressed me, because I don't even remember what they sounded like.
VERSUS!!!! These guys were great, and proceeded to steal the show. I saw part of a Versus show several months ago, but I had to leave early. This time I wasn't going anywhere. Great stuff. You all know about them I'm sure, so I won't go on and on, but they were really good. Thumbs very much up.
Seam was up next. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to follow Versus on this night, but this was a bit of a homecoming for them because at least part of the band is from the Triangle. The crowd was starting to decrease (it was almost one when they started), but they still put a lot of energy into the set. They were pretty good, but got a little repetitive after a while. Their songs never seemed to have a chorus. Typical arrangement: intro, verse, music interlude, bridge (perhaps singing perhaps not), music interlude, verse, outro. This made it difficult to go away singing any of their songs, but then again I had been there for a long time -- maybe I was just getting tired. Overall, it was interesting music with strong verse melodies. Thumbs slightly pointed up, but more to the side.