I was magically paired up with great photographer Micah Wright to hang out with friends and check out Detroit Bar a few Tuesdays ago to see Miniature Tigers and Freelance Whales. The night opened with a local band called The New Limb. I hadn’t heard much from them, but now that I’m looking them up, I’m guessing I should have. Winners of Best Band 2010 for OC Music Awards and OC Weekly’s Best Live Band of 2009 and nominees for several more, I realize I definitely should have caught more of their set. They brought quite an excited crowd and I’ll definitely have to make it out to another of their shows.
Next up was Miniature Tigers, a band I heard about in the spring when their single “Gold Skull” with Neon Indian for their sophomore album Fortress was released. I was instantly in love, but as it was a collaboration, the rest of the album made a different impression. Not bad, but not what I had hoped for. Going into the night with only moderate expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. The psych rock mixed with folk elements drew me in like hypnosis and required my swaying with the music. In a venue that small, the music sounded giant and enveloped the crowd just like the smoke from the fog machines. Even though they never played “Gold Skull,” I was more than satisfied with the set. (I didn’t get any video of them because I kept hoping to record Gold Skull)
Freelance Whales was up next. This is a band that I have been following since before the release of their debut album Weathervanes in April of last year. The set started out a bit shakey–Judah’s vocals sounded intentionally rough as though sounding like Conor Oberst was the only way to convey his emotion. After a few songs, the set shaped up into the tight eclectic pop that I recognized. They played all the favorites, which means practically everything from their album. All the members rotated instruments, incorporating glockenspiel and harmonium as well as the traditional synth, guitar, and drums. The band also played three new songs, the last of which was my favorite, but I don’t know the names. With that much new music ready to play live, it wouldn’t surprise me if they had a release date for some time next year. Overall, the band was light and fun with a level of intensity that surprised me. The eclectic nature of the music seemed organic and not as some contrived indie-hipster creation. I loved it and I could have listened to hours more.
After the band left the stage, I decided to approach Judah and ask him a question that had been on my mind about the album. Whether “Hannah Takes The Stairs” had something to do with the movie of the same name. He explained the association, saying that after he watched the film he had a dream and that’s how the song came about.
Both bands were great and I was so glad that Micah Wright was able to come shoot the show because the photos are beautiful. If you haven’t checked out these bands yet, do so now!
