By I've discovered that one of the best places to see bands perform is in the dark backrooms of dingy bars. A great example of this type of show is the Sophomore Lounge showcase at the Keswick Democratic Club in Louisville this past weekend.
Sophomore Lounge is a small label that operates out of Louisville and Chicago. According to its MySpace page, the original Sophomore Lounge was a physical place in an athletic equipment storage area at Louisville Collegiate High School. A group of friends, a number of whom are still involved with the label, banded together and claimed the space as their own.
Sophomore Lounge as a label tries to keep this idea alive. The label exists as a way for a group of friends to provide support for each other and do what they love.
This was my second Sophomore Lounge show. A Sophomore Lounge showcase is a unique experience. Most shows have multiple bands performing together, but the camaraderie among the Sophomore Lounge bands is amazing.
Everybody knows everybody at these shows, and they all seem genuinely fond of each other. During their sets, each band takes a moment to promote the other bands' merchandise. There is just a general sense of friendship at a Sophomore Lounge show; the bands are all basically just friends hanging out and playing music for the sake of the music. The first band was the no-nonsense Giving Up (above). They took the stage, said, “We're Giving Up and we're here to play some music for you,” and away they went.
The band's MySpace page describes their music as folk grunge, and that's as good a description as any. They definitely had the grunge sound, but with more meaningful lyrics. Their set went well, but the crowd was fairly unresponsive. I guess that's what happens when you go first in a show: the crowd is still sober. After a quick tear-down/rebuild, State Champion (left) was up. State Champion is, in essence, Ryan Davis, the head of Sophomore Lounge. He is generally a solo act, but that night he had a drummer and a keyboardist. His music is fairly unique and he's an excellent lyricist, though not the best vocalist in the world. His vocals are somewhere between singing and shouting. Most of his songs tend to be stories told to musical accompaniment.
Next on: Ribbonpigeon. This band is a fairly new addition to Sophomore Lounge by way of Murfreesboro, Tenn. They have a Southern sound, bordering on being a country band. However, they have enough of a rock sound that they seem to belong more firmly in that category. Their music tends to hit fast and hard. They really got the crowd going. The next band up is a Louisville favorite and one of the most anticipated bands at Sophomore Lounge shows. They're all about having a loud and rowdy good time. They are Slithering Beast.
The Beast (left) is the craziest country band you will ever see. I have a passionate dislike for country music, and I have to give it up for the Beast. They put on a great show. You know it's going to get crazy when they preface their second song with, “If you guys are going to dance around and shit, just try to be respectful of the other people. Aww! I know!” By the end of a Slithering Beast set the floor should be slick with various forms of alcohol, the crowd should have danced themselves numb and a number of people will have lost their voices from shouting along. Slithering Beast was the only band of the night to have an encore.
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| photo by Stowe Nelson |
Sophomore Lounge is a great little label, keeping it real since 2000. They are definitely worth a listen, and a blast to see live. Expect big things from this label in the future.
