True Showmance

Live Review

Sep 22

On a hump day’s night three bands rolled into Midway Cafe and performed pop/rock medleys for a motley crew of raging botanists. The nearby Arnold Arboretum, prized for its natural beauty, is also a destination for conferences related to preservation and biodiversity. It seemed a few plant scholars who were in town for some academic paper shuffling had escaped the lecture hall to enjoy suds and sounds at the local Jamaica Plain watering hole. Vancouver’s Showmance was a highlight of the bill, sandwiched by local opener Better Fires and closer Loose Joints.

Boston’s Better Fires better fire the band members who didn’t make the gig. The ensemble performed as a two-piece, though they swore their regular roster was five-deep. One drummer and one guitarist fielded a mix of medium-to-low tempo prairie rock over a robust foundation of pre-recorded backing tracks. Tinges of emo and wholesome Aughts-era college rock. Shades of Beat Radio and Black Books. A botanist visiting from Minneapolis remarked that the pair seemed like “nice young men.”

The guy/gal duo Showmance was a two-piece on purpose. Their performance was a whirling dervish of alt-rock energy. The guy hopped around on stage like a hotfooted jackrabbit, slaying with his metal ax and cozying up to the vocalist who was channeling her inner Shirley Manson. A strong Johnny/June vibe permeated the pair – the set ended with a wet kiss. The botanist from Minneapolis couldn’t decide whether the moment was scandalous or sweet. It was definitely sweaty though. Shout out to the Patti Smith-style spoken word interlude, which the vocalist delivered from the pit.

Closer Loose Joints is a newish local trio that brings interesting production ideas to their rock n roll. The line-up includes two guitars, one set of drums, and no bass. Instead of just living without the low end, like a PS I Love You, they’ve routed one of their guitars through a pitch-lowering pedal. Something like an Octave pedal?

If we’re wrong, please correct us in the comments. If we’re right, the strategy explains why a band with two guitars had low end. A guitar will never sound like a bass, no matter what pedal you’re using, but you can claim some of that low end sound with the trick and give a song a wider pitch spectrum as a whole.

If you’re going down this road though, you need a bass amp to better articulate and amplify the deeper notes. Most of the intricate hammer-on speed metal solos were lost in the acoustic sludge of a regular guitar amp trying to project the more bass-heavy sound. Extra points for the cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.”

Music aside, the major breaking news at Midway Cafe was the establishment of a new forestry office at City Hall, dedicated to planting more trees. The initiative puts Boston “on the forefront of the national urban forestry movement” according to local tree hugger David Meshoulam. The botanists were thrilled.