The Wars of 1812 CD Release at The Varsity Theater on 4/4/08

By: Jon Behm

Peter Pisano - Photo by Jon Behm

Only about a half a year ago I caught the Wars of 1812’s debut Twin Cities’ performance. It was a modest event at the lovely 331 Club, a high quality, but unfortunately poorly attended show.  Ever since that evening, the four young band members (and roommates) have been hard at work creating the buzz that is starting to make them a household name amongst local music lovers. While some of this newfound recognition can be attributed to press, word of mouth and even pure luck, none of these things would have mattered if the Wars weren’t dealt a pretty good hand of musical talent to begin with. 

The buzz culminated (or perhaps only briefly paused) on Friday night at the Varsity Theater with the Wars gang coming out to support the re-release of their album Status Quo Antebellum. There was some fierce competition for good shows in Minneapolis that night, but the Wars still took the stage to a house packed with excited fans.  Although I hadn’t heard them in a few months, as Peter Rosewall started into the first organ chords of “Homestay” it immediately became obvious that the band has come a long way in a short amount of time.

Upon my first hearing them, my impression of the Wars was that their sound was heavily dependent on their organist.  Since then the band has fleshed out quite a bit. Lead singer Peter Pisano has some wicked guitar skills, and has developed a more mature lead voice. Mei Ling Anderson’s plucking has improved a great deal as well. The barefoot bassist was unflappable onstage, even when some ambitious male audience members tried loudly to get her attention. Bobby Maher, too plays a mean set of drums, and he and Rosewall’s rhythms and organ make up a great canvas for Pisano and Anderson to paint on.

Mei Ling Anderson - Photo by Jon Behm

The group played a number of great songs from their new album, including “Radios Unsigned,” “Forget You Madly,” and a rendition of “Lover and a Friend,” that almost sounded as if it had a few psychedelic undertones. While the Wars seem to have nudged their overall sound a bit further into Jayhawk’s alt country territory, there was still a teaspoon of blues here and there to keep things interesting. That teaspoon went down the smoothest in “Nothing to Do,” a slow burning stroll down the road of broken relationships. That song, more than any other, really came together for the band. 

At the end of the show the Wars of 1812 had impressed me a great deal.  This being said, I still think that they have a long ways to go in terms of improvement. This isn’t because I don’t think they are already an excellent band – that is far from the case. I do believe though, that they still have the potential to become even better. More than anything else the Wars have really sold me on their ear for great melodies – only time will tell if they will continue to develop this ability into greatness.  

As the Swiss philosopher Henri-Frédéric Amiel once said, " Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.” The Wars of 1812 have the means to become great – all that remains to be seen is if they have the drive.       

The Wars of 1812's Myspace

More photos from the show

Location Info: The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: The Wars of 1812

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