Rocking in Dallas with Electric 6

At the moment, I'm living about two blocks away from one of my favorite live music venues in my home town- the Granada Theater. Last night, I went to see a show there, and since I haven't tried my hand at a music review here, that's what I'm doing today. Here we go. Take it away.

The Lions from Austin Texas were the first band of the night, with mane-ish locks that represented their name well. They played a rather hard rocking set, and while I don't often listen to such music, I have to admit that they sounded amazing: they were tight and on top of their songs from start to finish, sounding very professional. And while only a few people in the crowd mustered more enthusiasm than headed bobbing, the band's energy was way up there; either they were using this opportunity to practice for when they're filling stadiums, or they love rocking that much. As a closet optimist, I'm tending toward the latter. So while my personal taste won't propel me toward buying their albums any time soon, props to the Lions for exemplifying love for the rock.

After a bathroom break and a beer run, it was time for the next group, Local H. Once more, their sound is quite a bit harder than most music I find myself listening to, but the quality of their set was undeniable. First of all, Local H is two guys, a drummer and a really angry guitarist/ vocalist. And I know they had the aid of a probably killer sound system, but damn, they made a lot of noise! In the sense that they sounded like more than two guys, not that they were frivolously loud. Like their shaggy pals, Local H's energy was through the roof, and this time, more of the audience was up there with them. I was especially impressed that they skipped "Bound for the Floor", their single that probably got the most radio exposure: way to deflect expectations, dudes. I was a little disappointed that they didn't play more tracks from that album, As Good As Dead; I actually dig "Lovey Dovey" and "Eddie Vedder" quite a bit. However, it became pretty clear that these mellower tracks, while awesomely moody and disgruntled, may not have fit in with the rest of the high energy rants of the set list. Over all, had there been more flannel and less talk of the last election, I'd have sworn I was back in the mid nineties, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Another beer and a shuffle up to the front of the crowd later and I was ready for the headliners, Electric 6, the band I was most excited about seeing. Having heard only a smattering of their songs, I had assured myself that they would put on a dynamite show, and ya know, I was right. Frontman (or is he more than a man...?) Dick Valentine charged onto the stage in a flashy red cape (no, really, "flashy" was spelled out in sequins) and quickly tore it off to reveal... ANOTHER CAPE! You had me at flashy, Dick. They rocked boisterously through their set, spouting Polyphonic Spree jokes and other merry tomfoolery, pausing only to let a gentleman to propose to his girlfriend (aww!... some!) and to allow for an encore. They played their most famous songs Danger! High Voltage and Gay Bar, along with older fan favorites and new material, keeping the audience jamming and bouncing around all the way to their parting shot, Dance Commander. Except for the one-in-every-crowd kid who did NOT jump at shows (...emo?). She of course happened to stand right in front of me, so I had about six inches of space between her and the wall in which to boogie. But I managed. Ya know, for the rock.

While Electric 6's silly, dance inspiring tunes diverged a bit from the harsher, mosh-ier selections of the Lions and Local H, there could've been no doubt by the end of the show that a passion for rocking spurs each each of them (and their fans) ever onward.