By: Jesse Olejnicak
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Ponofo - Photo by David de Young
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The first thing that I noticed about Club Underground when I arrived was that it is a cozy little place. There are a few comfy couches off to the side and a dozen or so tables scattered about the middle of the room. There is a small but accommodating bar on the far left, with the stage being just left of center. The whole place is dimly lit and colored basic black. The crowd itself was small, maybe three dozen people or so, but they all seemed anxious for the show to start; they talked and laughed and seemed energetic.
The first band up was Gordon Globe. Sandy Grasdalen, dressed in a white shirt and tie, played guitar and sang lead vocals, Abigail Hoover played a heart-shaped bass guitar and sang vocals, and Eric Larson rocked drums with a hearty smile. The music was a fast paced hard rock, with just a hint of sock hop. Their song “Natural Highlight” actually used some 50’s-style chords, making it sound somewhat reminiscent of Weezer. One thing that I really liked was that the chords and key changes had me guessing the whole time – nothing makes music mundane quite like predictability. It seemed that the lead guitar and drums seemed to be continually fighting for dominance, and I also had a hard time understanding many of the words to the songs, largely due to a moderate amount of reverb. But throughout the show they kept up the same high energy that began the moment they played their first note. They are definitely worth a listen.
Next on the bill was Capital Sons. Right from the get-go, Capital Sons wowed me. They play rock ‘n roll with a classic feel. Some of the songs reminded me of the Counting Crows or Pearl Jam, and there was also a Fleetwood Mac feeling to some of the music. On stage, they seemed very relaxed and comfortable; at any given time at least one of them was smiling or grooving to their own sound. They had complex drum rhythms, layered guitars and a warm, flowing sound, all of which kept me listening intently. One of my favorite things was when lead guitarist Gary V would rise up from the river of the melody and hang on the heartstrings of harmony before plunging back into the waters. The whole performance was done very smoothly and skillfully.
The headliner was Ponofo. After a few moments of sound check, they were ready to go. Their sound was deep heavy rock - a little dark, a little angsty, and a whole lot of loud. Dark and heavy doesn’t mean low energy either; this band could have kept going all night if they wanted to. They also really wanted to get the audience involved. At one point in the show, drummer Brent Christopher stood up off of his drummer’s stool and said: “You have been sitting all night long. Stand the fuck up and rock out with us! You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!” Some of the music sounded a bit like Nirvana’s early stuff from Bleach. The rhythm and beats kept reverberating in my chest the whole time. This was truly an awesome show.
I had the chance to speak with lead singer and guitarist Dirk Von Bulow about Ponofo’s music. He said that one of the most important things to realize about the songs is that they are written from the singer’s – not necessarily his – perspective. He tried to crawl inside the person’s head and get a feel for what they were thinking and feeling. Once you understand that, he explained, you can truly appreciate the song’s content for what it is.
All in all it was a great night of beer, fun, and good loud rock. If you have rock and roll in your soul, you should definitely check these bands out.
Location Info:
Club Underground
Artist Info: Capital Sons, Gordon Globe, Ponofo
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