The pop music scene in San Diego is more exciting than ever, and on Friday May 28, four of the city’s hottest, award-winning bands will come together for one amazing night of music.
Dirty Sweet, Transfer, The Silent Comedy, and Apes of Wrath usually sell out every club where they play, so premiere live music presenter The Casbah is bringing them together at the Birch for one night only. The concert is for all ages, general admission, and begins at 7:30pm. Tickets are $19 in advance, $21 on the day of the show.
With a wide range of musical influences and styles, the four bands have a few things in common: they’re all in the burgeoning stages of their careers, playing local clubs and touring, getting noticed at the SXSW festival and similar showcases, getting noticed by recording labels, and releasing their first few recordings, building a rabid audience base that may catapult them to the next level.
Three won San Diego Music Awards last year: Transfer for best rock band, The Silent Comedy for best pop band, and Apes of Wrath for best alternative band; Dirty Sweet walked with the award for best rock band in 2008, 2007 and 2005.
Dirty Sweet is an American rock band steeped in this nation’s musical roots, from country to R&B, gospel to classic rock and heavy metal to proto-grunge. A mixture of disparate influences such as The Rolling Stones, jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, and early U2 make the band an interesting addition to today's budding rock climate. The San Diego-based quintet’s name perfectly describes their two-pronged approach to writing and performing, what the NME calls “skuzzy, ass-shaking rawk ‘n’ roll” crossed with the ability to pick up their acoustic guitars and craft a melodic ballad.
A review of their performance at last year's SXSW festival wrote, “Ryan Koontz gives you everything you need in a front man, his commanding vocals matched by his shimmying and shaking across the stage. This band rips, with a born-in-a-garage sound and an effortless Sunset Strip strut that also appreciates the rootsy side of the street. Most importantly, they have a damn good time up there, with their faces beaming as they assault you with a balls-to-the-walls approach. Just a fan-freaking-tastic rock band, keep on eye on them.”
The Silent Comedy started as a side project of the now defunct post-punk group Dehra Dun, named for a city in India where some of the founding members had lived in 2002. The band changed from its original idea of a fluid lineup and a strict “recording only” vision to a five-piece core with a variety of guests. In addition to a cast of guest performers, The Silent Comedy is known for its frequent instrument changes, and lively stage antics. Their live show has become their defining characteristic. Old-time clothes, high-energy stage antics, foot stomping, and group sing-a-longs define a Silent Comedy performance. "It's some kind of mix between vaudeville and a tent revival meeting," says violinist I. Forbes. “We want to give you more for your money than just a bunch of indie guys on stage trying to look as bored as possible. We don't care a whole lot about being cool."
Over the last year Apes of Wrath (Robert Kent, Jake Bankhead, and Dustin Elliott) have adjusted their lineup from 4 to 3 members, and continue to pump out a large, catchy, and energetic sound. Now that the unsigned San Diego band have recorded and released their first CD, and grown into their ability to give memorable live performances, Apes of Wrath are ready to give audiences and listeners their catchy and frenetic brand of metamorphic indie pop. At the SXSW festival they were a part of two Future Sounds Rumble showcases, a Beauty Bar Austin showcase, and the Obscure Magpie Two Headed Party showcase.
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