How Was The Show - Aviette, High on Stress at 331 Club

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High on Stress with Aviette at 331 Club on 1/20/06

High on Stress (at 7th Street) - Photo by Darin Back, used w/ permission of the band

Aviette took the stage around 10:00, easing into their set with the spacey, rhythmic sounds that define them: Aviette are not afraid to let the cosmos invade their songs. Singer and guitarist Holly Munoz let her chords ring and wind around the persistent beat of drummer Kyle Larson and the restrained bass work of Justin Hartke, and her moody vocals floated above the sound. Unfortunately, her voice seemed to get lost in the mix, and it took all of the listener’s concentration to zero in on her melodies. At times, they brought to mind the airiness of Low, in the way that they were skilled at not overplaying their instruments. At others, the complicated rhythms and time changes reminded me of Spoon, only with Mazzy Star vocals.

Playing cover songs can be tricky proposition for any band. It takes guts to do an Elliott Smith song, but Aviette did a decent job covering Smith’s “Between The Bars.” I didn’t really care for their cover of Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” though my friend who was sitting with me thought it rocked. Covering an 80s hair metal band is sure to elicit an opinion either way. Overall, I like the sound of this three-piece, but I would like to see the singer, Munoz, connect more with the crowd and not hold back on her vocals.

What Aviette's set lacked, High on Stress had pegged from the start. From the opening chords of “Eyeliner Blues,” the band managed to make the tiny stage and unfortunate acoustics of the 331 Club irrelevant. “She’s the last to know/ and the last to let it go,” went the chorus. Any band that can successfully work references to Keith Richards and The Ashtray Hearts into the same song is going to do just fine.

High on Stress deftly straddled the line between rock and alt-country, between Westerberg and the Bottle Rockets. During the countrified “Traffic Report,” I downed my Premium because it is certified drinking song. Lead Singer Nick Leet bounced to the beat as he sang, “It’s times like these/ when I’m weak in the knees.” Then guitarist Ben Baker leaned into the microphone and the two singers harmonized to create a ghostly beautiful sound, filling the room.

The highlight of the set was during “Minot.” Leet pounded his acoustic guitar, driving the band through an organ-laden kiss off to the North Dakota town, “This is an ode to cover bands/ bad punk rock/ and all the things I can’t stand.”

The band played with intensity, but at the same time, they weren’t afraid to have some fun up there on the stage, epitomized when Leet put up the devil horns before the song "Cash Machine," letting us know he was there to rock.

Most of the songs High on Stress played were from their album, Moonlight Girls. However, when compared to their live sound, the album hardly does the band justice. High on Stress is definitely worth checking out, perhaps in a different venue - where they can crank up their amps, and their booze and heartache-soaked songs would sound even better.

Location Info: 331 Club
Artist Info: Aviette, High on Stress

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