By: Cyn Collins
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The Alarmists at the Kitty Cat Klub - Photo by Cyn Collins
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“Those who warn against the dangers in time are considered alarmists. He who hesitates is lost. We are the alarmists, and we cannot afford to delay... “
-- Alarmists myspace.com bio.
The Alarmists show at the Kitty Cat Klub was highly attended, despite being on a Saturday night when there were many great shows drawing music fans out all over town. (Including the huge opening of The Sound Gallery recording studio.)
This is a testament to the wildfire popularity the Alarmists continue to rapidly gain via word of mouth. They also garnered them a City Pages’ Picked to Click runner-up award this Fall. The Alarmists live shows are stunning, highly energetic and charismatic. Their powerful hooks, exceptional pacing, and instrumental chops seem way beyond their youthful years (most are 22 years old). Songs heard only a couple of times already sound like classics to my ears; they have the potential to last for years.
I’ve attended every Alarmists show I could since they first blew me away at the Turf Club a few months ago. They have the energy and verve I recall from The Replacements, (whose “Bastards of Young,” they cover brilliantly). I heard strong threads of Beatles riffs and vocals, with elements of Wilco, Supergrass and Spoon. Eric Lovold’s vocals are strong, clear and compelling. His voice reminds me sometimes of McCartney. Joe Kuefler’s excellent on keys, tambourines and special effects, an absolute livewire who nearly steals the show with his frenetic dance, standing on speakers, leaning over to share wine with his audience friends. Dan Severson’s bass is solid, Ryan Mach’s drumming top notch and Ryan McMillan’s guitar technically brilliant, employing neat tricks. They’re really in sync with each other, feeding off each others high energy and having fun. As a result they’re tight as hell. They’re also prolific, bringing new songs to each show.
They began “Comin’ to Meet Me,” with the keyboard intro from “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” then went into that nice dark key I love the most, E Minor. “Soldados” is a favorite of mine and the audience as well, I guessed from the response. The song is atmospheric, with vocals worthy of Michael Stipe. “New Romans” sounds both the Beatles and Oasis-tinged. “Glory” features one of their signature arrangements –a suspensious break, then hitting hard. Because of the late hour (1 a.m.) lead singer Eric announced, “It’s an Alarmists slumber party,” which it felt like because they evoke a sense of comfortable intimacy with their audience members.
Luvold announced “You’ve heard this tonight . . . this is the Alarmists version of The Teeth [who played earlier] song, “Rod Stewart.” This sounded reminiscent of Talking Heads. After another new song came “We’re Takin’ Em On” and “Out on Radio,” with a great shuffle beat on drums, one of their country rock songs. Nice! For this, Kuefler played harp, and Severson was excellent on bass.
“G Rocker” is played with a Joy Division-like sense of urgency, ultra-intensely, and is one of the Alarmists’ best songs. “Wasting Time” features searing reverb guitar licks with a Mexicali vibrational guitar effect (not sure what this is called/there must be a name). “Hey Kid,” is one of their songs that sounds like a classic destined to last decades. Numerous requests for an encore got the audience the song they unanimously wanted, “Mr. Alright.”
I urge people to check out the Alarmists if you haven’t already. Every time I hear them I imagine this is what Oasis or Green Day might have been like back in their early small, pre-stadium days. I have a strong hunch The Alarmists could become one of the biggest bands in the nation within a couple/few years. Keep an eye on them.
Eric Lovold (vocals, guitar)
Joe Kuefler (keys, harmonica, tambourine, bells)
Ryan Mach (drums)
Ryan McMillan (guitar, fx)
Dan Severson (bass)
Location Info:
Kitty Cat Klub
Artist Info: The Alarmists
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