The audience filtered into Neumos from the rainy, wet and humid night only to find the rain and humidity was able to sneak in as well. The condensation inside caused water to drip onto the crowd from the pipes above. This was perfect weather for Massy Ferguson's CD release party though. Hard Water, their second album, is an impressive collection of diverse, working class roots rock. The show also marked milestones for opening bands Cody Beebe and the Crooks and Curtains For You as both groups rocked the Neumos stage for the first time.
Curtains For You took the stage shortly after 9 pm as the audience was still arriving. By the end of the set they had won most in the crowd over with their blend of straight-forward indie rock with styles as diverse as swing, ragtime and alt-country. They even broke out horns a couple of times. Their showstopper was the playfully theatrical "Small Change," a song that instantly brought the Roaring Twenties into the 21st century.
Cody Beebe and the Crooks took the stage like they had something to prove and boy, did they. They nearly blew the roof off the joint with their energetic, highly charged roots-rock assault and the tightness of their musicianship. The music and Cody's vocals never sounded better, thanks in large part to Neumos' state-of-the-art sound system. They rocked hard only letting up when the slow build up of songs like "Push" and the radio-ready "Waiting On You" allowed. The audience was packed in pretty good, grooving and moving to the funk jam "Change of Pace" and the galloping rocker "The Aftermath."
Even though this concert didn't need more Rock and Roll cred than that provided by Curtains For You, Cody Beebe and the Crooks and Massy Ferguson, I found some towards the back corner of the main floor. As I waited for Massy Ferguson to take the stage I saw a woman sitting on the floor against the side wall. I didn't think much of it until a couple of minutes later when I looked over to see that she was throwing up into the nearby garbage can. After finishing, she continued to drink her beer. What's more Rock and Roll than that?
Massy Ferguson kicked off their set and quickly proved why they have earned the nickname "The People's Band". Their brand of instantly relatable blue-collar rock coupled with their interaction with the crowd, drew the audience in. They entrusted the audience with singing a line of "Powder Blue." They encouraged the audience to dance along throughout the set and many did. The new material sounded great. Guitarist Adam Monda broke out the harmonica on "Pretty Plain Jane". It sounded better on stage then when I heard it on KEXP hours earlier, the mark of a good band.
Surprising and impressing the crowd at the same time, lead vocalist Ethan Anderson interjected flute into the traditional country rock progression of "Freedom Country". It was a little like Jethro Tull, but cooler and contemporary. Wenatchee Eyes" featured guitar that's located somewhere in between that of southern rock and the alternative twang of R.E.M.
During the show, Amanda, a friend of the band, was nice enough to walk through the crowd selling copies of the new album for the band. Great marketing move in my book. As they were winding down the set they recruited Cody Beebe and a couple members of Curtains For You for percussion duties. They then recruited a couple back-up singers and a Bob Seger fan. With the crowd dancing and singing along they cemented their working-class reputation by performing a spirited cover of "Night Moves."
By the time they took the stage for their encore it was 12:30 am. Many in the audience began to understandably leave because it was so late. The closing track of Hard Water, "Aspartame," was the perfect choice to open the encore. They switched it up a little bit as Anderson sat down and played an acoustic version. Much of the main floor turned into a dance floor for the last song, a fun country rock romp. It got the remaining crowd grooving and rocking and closed the show on a high note. This was one heck of a rock show. The whole bill was strong. The hard water pouring down out of the Seattle sky as the crowd left Neumos ... bad. Massy Ferguson's Hard Water CD Release Show ... very, very good.
P.S. Many thanks to Jeff McKeown who shot some awesome photos and allowed me to attach them to this review.
