In-store: Revolvers

Revolvers

Sonic Boom Records. Friday, November 26, 2010.

In-stores at Sonic Boom can be a malleable thing. Sometimes they're just a quick taster before a band heads to their main gig of the night. In this case, though, Revolvers' set counted pretty much as a gig in its own right, celebrating the re-release of their debut album Apocalypse Surfin' on the local Optical Sounds imprint, with the label helping the band get out a handsome vinyl version. So with no other show to get to, the band could not only stay a little longer, but also get going a little later, with a scheduled eight o'clock start time.

Things were still a little thin on the ground as the hour rolled by, but as more friends and curiosity-seekers came down the stairs there was a respectable crowd on hand as the band got started fashionably late, in true rock'n'roll style. And speaking of rock'n'roll style, the band was also looking the part — especially guitarist/vocalist Sebastian Molaro sporting some oversized sunglasses and a bit of Jagger-ish frontman swagger.

Over the course of their set, the band featured several tracks from the album, starting with the ace opening cut "Break it Loose". Tasty stuff, and I got the impression the band is feeling more settled in their music and confident enough to sit in a groove a bit more than previously. The rhythms were hitting a little heavier, and not just metaphorically: I note that drummer Lavien Lee, who did a lot of work with brushes when I first saw the band, is now on sticks almost full-time.

And though the band was celebrating the wider availability of their album, it has to be noted it's also a snapshot from a while back. It's good to note that there's several songs newer than the album that show that the band's style is still evolving. On some of the more recent songs the sound is more psych/less blues, which works pretty well — not that there still isn't some boogie in their beat, such as on the choogle-ized "Cadillac 21". And showing one more tool at their disposal the did a "brand new one" called "I Love You", which slowed sown the tempo without sacrificing the groove — even if it demonstrated that the band are still not all the way there as imaginative lyricists.

A good set, showing the solid base from which the band is presumably going to keep expanding. The album is worth hearing, but the band's greatest strength remains its live show, so check them out when you get a chance.¹

Listen to a track from this set here.

---

¹ You can catch the band playing the Drake Underground on Friday, April 29, 2011 with Trap Tiger plus Snake and Crane.