House Show: Amo Joy, Son Drop, Christian Taylor

Hot damn...it's been a few days (four?) since I last posted. This is partly due to a wicked head-cold that's been creeping up on me for about a week and finally bit me in the ass. And of course, Friday night's misadventures didn't help delay the onset of this malady...but I did have an awesome time.

A few friends and I headed to a big ol' brick house on College Ave. in Midtown to catch a few local bands and one from Kalamazoo, Mich. The two local groups were Amo Joy and Christian Taylor (founder of Homeschool), and the one from Kalamazoo was Son Drop.

Sometimes I feel like I have a habit of gushing about concerts. But the fact is, when you're there, whooping it up, having a good time, it's really hard to come away with a lot of bad things to say about the music. Especially when you're listening to a line-up of groups that really have their sh*t together and approach the show with the same professionalism they would as a concert of 10,000 people. But seriously, without getting mushy, I saw some good music last night and became hip to some local groups--not just the ones that were there--that I'm definitely going to check out in the near future. Read some more below, and/or check out my review in NUVO this week...

There were three bands there with pretty different sounds/styles. Christian Taylor and his fellow Homeschooler Andrew Gustin played a set of stripped down electro folk that demonstrated Taylor's incredible songwriting talent and Gustin's versatility, handling the rhythm guitar, percussion, melodica, and a key-tar looking thing. Can't wait to check these guys out again at the White Rabbit on May 26th.

Son Drop played an awesome set of what they refer to as "working-man's psych rock." What it amounts to is a woozy, trippy kind of alternative rock that's not necessarily as pissed off as most alternative/grunge usually sounds, and draws a lot on Southern Rock and the Blues (but hey, what doesn't draw on the blues?). After listening to their album for most of the weekend, I'm totally hooked on these guys.

Lastly, Amo Joy took over and, whether it was because everyone was drunk, or because they had the most fans there, these guys got the house up and rocking pretty quick. After previewing their album, I expected these guys to have a sweet, Yellow Submarine, kind of sound, but in concert they brought a sound that was pure garage, while still maintaining the complexity of the album.

Not only did the show's kick ass, but the company was great too. Members of local band Sloth Pop were hanging around. Sloth Pop were originally scheduled to play at the show but cancelled due to an injury of one of their band members. Other perks of the show were $4 keg beer, grilled sausages out on the porch, and total, unfettered access to the bands, who hung out and checked out the show afterward.

If'n you ever get a chance, check out a house concert. It's an experience you won't forget. Even if you can't remember most of it...ha.