Fresh from their network TV debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Givers played to a thin, but enthusiastic Middle East audience. To get that many kids dancing on a lazy summer Sunday night was quite the feat, but Givers was the perfect band for the challenge. Like me, I sensed that many in the audience had heard about the band by word of mouth and were checking them out with little previous introduction. Right off the bat, Givers incited a dance party with their infectious afro-beats and sweet, passionate vocals. When vocalist/guitarist Taylor Guarisco wasn't belting it out at the mic (often with eyes rolled back in his head), he got low and shook what his mama gave him. And when vocalist/percussionist Tiffany Lamson wasn't leading the slower, more soulful pieces (often strumming a ukulele), she attacked her drums with a gleeful vengeance.
I have a pretty clean record with melophobe of never doing the compare-this-band-to-another-band thing, but let's be frank here. Guarisco sounds like Ezra Koenig; Lamson vocalist sounds like Lady Lamb the Beekeeper; and their beats/synths/bass are very Vampire Weekend/Ra Ra Riot-ish. If you like any of those bands, you will love Givers. And honestly, you'd have to house a very dark, cold soul not to love this band.
Still touring for their first full-length album In Light (Glassnote), this is a show not to be missed. Check out tour dates and download their single, "Up Up Up" below.
Tour Dates:
06/24/11 Schubas Tavern (Chicago, IL)
06/26/11 7th Street Entry (Minneapolis, MN)
06/27/11 Ciceros (St. Louis, MO)
06/28/11 Stickyz Rock'n'Roll Chicken Shack (Little Rock, AR)
07/23/11 XPoNential Music Festival (Camden, NJ)
07/30/11 Spanish Moon (Baton Rouge, LA)
09/07/11 Rickshaw Stop (San Francisco, CA)
