There are many perks to covering live music, one you get to go to a ton of shows, another is you possibly have the chance to do onsite interviews and meet the bands. The biggest perk is you are exposed to new music and on November 8th, 2017 that was just the case. Death From Above 1979 and The Beaches, both out of Toronto, Canada stopped into the Record Bar in Kansas City, MO.
The Beaches took to the stage to kick of the two band bill and immediately bulldozed into their set. A mix of groovy sounds, insane guitar tones and some serious keyboard work was the canvas in which vocalist and bass player Jordan Miller painted her lyrics. High energy was felt on both sides of the line as the ladies in The Beaches were bouncing all over the small stage of the Record bar and the crowd were equipped with their own set of springs as they bounced right along.
When you find out you are covering a band that you are not familiar with it is not uncommon to take to YouTube to get a little knowledge on said band. After quite a bit of research, I was looking forward to seeing Death From Above 1979 live as I really dug their music. Well, YouTube did not prepare me for the show that was about to take place. Two men, Jesse Keeler on bass and Sebastien Grainger on drums and vocals created a sound that some four-piece bands have trouble creating on stage. When Speaking with Sebastian before the show he described to us the immense bass rig that Jesse has amassed and plays with on stage and went as far as to call it “the bane of his existence.” What rig supplied some sounds and tones that if you were not watching him, you would think Jesse was up there shredding on a guitar. The show that was provided by Death From Above 1979 was an experience that reminded me that just because you may not have heard the band, always give them a chance. Amazing things are out there in the world just waiting for you to open your mind to new adventures.
