Correction: This show was presented by Lower Class Revolt, not Thread Productions. We apologize for the original mistake.
After meeting Jonny Latimer of both the Aimless Never Miss and Built for the Sea at the Bottom of the Hill, I’d been looking forward to this show all week. First off, it was at Cafe du Nord, which happens to be one of my favorite venues in the city. It feels like it belongs in the television show True Blood alongside the vampire bar Fangtasia. Antique couches line the rear of the club and a deep scarlet red is seen literally everywhere. The first step, well, she’s a doozy no doubt about it. It can definitely be dangerous later in the evening when one is more likely to find themselves a few too many drinks deep. Besides the great drink deals, the place always has a reputation for bringing in some great indie rock names.
Bandloop and The Lower Class Revolt teamed up to bring us Silian Rail, the Aimless Never Miss, and Built for the Sea in a special family show. It was a family show because they’re all friends with each other and decided to toy with mix and matched lineups throughout the evening, making for a damned good time.
Sharing membership in the Thread Productions collective as well as the same unique lineup a girl on guitar and guy on drums as Tartufi, I was at first expecting a similar mathematical, harder rock feel. Its true they shared the somewhat mathematical rhythm structures, but with a decidedly lighter, dancier feel to their music. Throughout the evening there were visuals being projected on the bands, and for Silian Rail these images were comprised of physics and geology reference material and biblical scriptures, displaying a search for a truth of sorts not only in the sound, but the imagery as well. Eric Kuhn’s drumming was big and brawny yet tight and clean. I would later find out that he would be contributing his stick skill specialty to every band on the card that night. Robin’s guitar work was beautiful and welcomingly skillful. Silian Rail definitely left with more than a handful of fans that night. Acting almost as a segue into the Aimless Never Miss, Jonny and bassplayer Andrew Macy joined Silian Rail on stage for a super strong closer.
Fifteen minute intermission, charge the glass, and back to business. The Aimless Never Miss took the stage and, cue cheesy pun…were right on target. They definitely had their tenets of rock down – crazy tight unison stops, check; ethereal effects driven guitars, check; a beat that just can’t quit, double check. There is a reason they’re starting to garner the attention of West Coast Performer magazine and are playing a coveted late night slot during SXSW. A shamefully simple description would be alterna-rock, with a heavy emphasis on the rock. What began as a recording project from Jon has developed into an intoxicating live show that puts a new twist on a comfortingly familiar rock foundation.
To bridge the transition to Built for the Sea, vocalist Lia Rose lent her talents to the ANM for a song. I met Lia at the merch table as I came in and she immediately seemed like a very cool person. A bubbly personality to complement a beautiful voice and you’ve got yourself a genuine frontwoman.
Just seeing Built for the Sea take the stage makes one take notice. Anytime you include a cello in your lineup, you’ve got my attention. As a result of the cello and a bit of an emphasis on mid-range melodies, their sound was very round and warm. Jonny’s playing painted an aural picture with broad, colorful strokes. There were layers upon layers of instruments, but their ability to make an onslaught of sound feel like a mere pat on the back was like comfort food for the ears.
It was my second experience with the Thread Productions collective and the more I learn about them the more I love them. I picked up their Dragon Slayers Vol. III compilation and have played it beginning to end probably a dozen times since then. Next time you see any of the Thread Productions gang playing, I will personally ridicule you in public if you do not go. That or I’ll be slightly disappointed…either way do yourself a favor and check them out.
