Last night, as part of New Music Seminar‘s slew of shows, SpaceJam and I visited Pianos to check out a Seattle band we had met over the weekend called The Grizzled Mighty. Arriving having never heard the band’s music before, our departure was filled with an abundant share of excited commentary and highly stacked mentions of the night’s numerous memorable moments.
Twin Wave, a fairly new act from Brooklyn, opened up the show with a psychedelic-pop set that inspired dancing throughout the crowd. The songs were filled with falsetto, synth, and a whole lot of wah pedal. With a mix of soul and ambient indie influence, Twin Wave was an opener that caught attention, rather than holding onto it for later acts. I’d like to see this band again in a year or so, given more time to step out of the box with their sound and presence.
The Grizzled Mighty took the stage next, and the powerful two-piece took it by fiery storm. I would like to compare them to The White Stripes, but after drummer Whitney Petty declared mid-set that The White Stripes can “suck her dick,” I figured I’d better not (but I sort of just did). Petty, who played guitar in a little band called Deerhunter for a short while, certainly had enough energy and skill to prove herself as one not to be compared. Ryan Granger completed the duo with his vocals and guitar, easily producing crunchy riffs and frequent face-melting solos. The Grizzled Mighty was pure rock ‘n’ roll, bluesy undertones and all.
The band’s music wasn’t the only thing emitting rock ‘n’ roll. When Granger lost his balance and fell backwards onto the kick drum mid-song, neither he nor Petty skipped a beat, continuing on to the end of the song with a fallen cymbal stand. Soon after, Petty’s rack tom fell over, also finding itself lost in the electrifying performance. Again, the song continued without pause, and was met at the end with a crowd member declaring “that was awesome” as everyone cheered in agreement.
The Grizzled Mighty’s set was a rare surprise, as the same stellar performance could have easily been for a sold out crowd at an arena show. You can check out a few pictures below, as well as a video from the end of the set.
For fans of: The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and uh, awesome music.
And don’t forget to “like” Twin Wave and The Grizzled Mighty on Facebook!
