The Khyber is the prototypical rock and roll bar. Flyers and posters adorn the walls; the bathroom has a thick layer of stickers and graffiti; an old (unusable) smoke eater hangs from the ceiling—the usual stuff. My preconceived notions of The Dig had them playing a much bigger venue with more attendees. Oh, and the crowd was a regular ol’ sausagefest, and, oddly enough, the place smelled like smoked meat.
The Dig took the stage and dove right into their set. The guys are much younger than I had imagined, but they are skilled well beyond their years. A sparkly golden curtain hung behind the stage and orange glowing lights shone upon them giving a dreamy bowling-alley, spiritual quality. I just kept thinking that they really deserved a better stage.
The sound was almost unnecessarily booming for the size of the venue. It made me wonder if they are more accustomed to playing larger rooms. Between songs, the bassist said that this was the best show of their tour thus far, but I’ll bet he says that at every show.
The guys are young, but they play their music eloquently and with sentiment. Their songs often build up to a steady pound of the bass drum and the four of them bob their heads in unison. Guitarist David Baldwin and Bassist Emile Mosseri look like they could be brothers, and they seemed to feed off of each other, almost competing for the spotlight in sibling rivalry.
Erick Eiser, the keyboardist, played his instrument with so much force that it teetered and at times looked like it might actually topple. His boards echoed with exquisite charm, reminiscent of the great power-pop rockers of the 70’s. He seemed like a pretty versatile guy as he switched between guitar and keys mid-song.
Toward the end of the set, more of the bar flies gathered in front of the stage to get a better look at the band they had been hearing. Some spontaneous dancing even arose among the thirty guys and three ladies. The band looked weathered and sweaty at that point, and Nick Brown, the drummer, opted to go shirtless for the final song
The set unquestionably went out with an explosion, with the Stevie Ray Vaughn/ZZ Top inspired “Look Inside.” Baldwin instigated some audience participation and got the crowd to clap along before going into a climactic guitar solo. The song ended with a Freebird-style jam session, which showcased their raw talent and intelligent maturity.
The Dig far exceeded my expectations, and they are a band to keep an eye on in the future. After their set, I caught up with some of the guys from the band to shower them with compliments. I was offered a nice little three-track CD sampler in exchange for signing their mailing list. The sampler hasn’t left my CD player since then—I definitely dig it.
Set List
1. You Terrorize Me
2. Invitation
3. He’s a Woman
4. Carry Me Home
5. She’s Going to Kill That Boy
6. Penitentiary
7. Love Will Take You Under
8. Cry, Cry, Cry
9. Look Inside
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