Words/Photos: Chris Rugowski
https://www.chickenortheeggphotography.com/
Three bands, one stage, three different styles, and one amazing night.
Covet, Scarypoolparty, and Altopalo adorned the High Noon Saloon on April 18, 2023, with everything from atmospheric rock to acoustic that activated your root chakra to post-rock with body surfing.
The night started with Altopalo who had a chill vibe, however, this group was FULL of energy. They had guitar soundscapes for days. They also made the synth sound natural, which is a hard thing to achieve. In their mix, it just worked, really nicely. I liked how the vocals were subtly mixed with auto-tune (T-Pain style), and at points directly added in. It gave an interesting vocal element to an already great set of singers. Maybe it was vocal effects, but I felt both singers had higher voices that complemented the low-end this band can put out very tastefully. The vocoder sampling was on point, they knew what they were doing and when to hit the buttons in such a fashion that it seemed to just roll. The last song had an almost Sigur Ros feel to it, it was a little faster than a typical Sigur Ros song, but it was easy to follow along – then they broke down and went into this trance/dance beat that just built and built and built. It was easy to get lost in the clouds and the sounds as all the members became one with the song. I would see this band live again, there were so many layers, and one show was not enough to unpack it all. I will be following this band and supporting them however I can.
The second act Scarypoolparty (real name, Alejandro Aranda) was lit, literally. By a single light bulb on stage. I think the audience was kind of confused at first, I know I was, but then when Aranda started playing you knew instantly it was fitting for the mood. I felt his playing style was kind of like John Butler meets Travis Meeks (Days of the New). I found myself watching his hands and fingers like birds in the sky deciding where to land on the ocean, and a boat trying to determine where he was going to come ashore. His finger-picking style is super unique, and as a guitar player myself, I was intrigued by this. Combined with the hammer on’s and other little tidbits the guitar work plus the low light kept my attention solely on the act. It was hard to look away. Ultimately, I found myself getting lost in sonic textures and thoughts during his performance. It’s been a long while since I’ve done that to a musician playing, but I couldn’t not, he made it easy, accessible, and acceptable to do. In general, the fretwork was beautiful, there were a lot of moving parts that engaged not only the ears but also the eyes.
Covet, if you know the words, sing along – psych – there are no words, for the most part. They played through their entire new album “Catharsis” throughout the night, plus solid past hits. I’ve been a fan of this band and Yvette’s guitar playing for years, so watching her play live was a real treat. She loves what she does, and gets lost in the music, even as technical as it is. What was neat was watching her dance with the pedalboard – which has far more pedals than any guitar player I’ve ever met. How one does not get lost in that is beyond me. I liked the fact that the bassist switched between guitar and violin, it added a layer of context to the night. However, at the same time, I found myself watching the drummer as she traveled amongst the kit, her hits precise and deliberate, yet done with care. At one point the bassist said “If you know the words, sing along – psych – there are no words. So if you know the riffs, air guitar along!” When they got the “lovespell” Yvette commented this was her favorite song on the album, “even though you’re not supposed to have favorites, this is my favorite.” This resonated with the crowd because once it started the dance party started, and the mosh pit, and the body surfing. We even got an encore!
All in all, this night was a glorious night of music. A new venue that I’d never photographed before, with great sound, great people, space to move around, bands who WANTED to be there, bands who were having fun playing, and most of all a crowd who all cared about one thing, the music.
February 22 San Francisco Noise Pop (The UC Theatre)
April 7 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
April 8 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
April 9 Seattle, WA Neumos
April 11 Salt Lake City, UT Soundwell
April 13 Denver, CO Meow Wolf
April 14 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
April 15 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
April 17 St. Paul, MN Amsterdam Music Hall
April 18 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
April 20 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
April 21 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
April 22 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
April 23 Montreal, QC Café Campus
April 25 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Music Hall
April 26 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
April 27 Boston, MA Royale
April 28 Philadelphia, PA Brooklyn Bowl
April 29 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
May 1 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
May 2 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl
May 3 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade (Hell)
May 5 Dallas, TX Studio at The Factory
May 6 Austin, TX Scoot Inn
May 8 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
May 10 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
May 11 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up
May 12 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
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