Wavves @ Chopin Theater 9/20/9

Wavves has had its problems. But none of the drama was on display at this feel-good, highschoolers looking to party love fest. This guitar-drum lo-fi fuzz duo is a lot more impressive musically live than what comes across on record. But, it's also nearly impossible to distinguish anything other than the surprisingly wonderful drumming. Singer/guitarist Nathan Williams so distorts everything into a muddy din, you are forced to groove only on the resonant drum line to decipher what song, exactly, is being performed. It may have something to do with the community theater-turned-concert venue's relatively weak soundstage, but I was glad to have been relatively familiar with their eponymous debut album, otherwise I would have been completely lost as to what I was hearing. The vibe was more than fun, with a Matt and Kim-style group hug performance. Nathan commanded the seated crowd to ring the duo and dance along, warning revelers only that "if you unplug something, plug it back in," which happened about 10 times. Nevertheless, everone - crowd, band, stagehands having to constantly prevent monitors from being tipped over - seemed to have a great time.

B+

Opening Band before Wavves (Riot something?) @ Chopin Theater 9/20/9

This was my first time at the Chopin Theater, a quaint little multimedia space that could easily double as a funeral parlor, if your grandma with a lifetime collection of crappy artwork decorated it. Which is not to say it's not a fantastic place to see a show - it is. They sold exactly 3 types of beer: Amstel Light (about 15 on hand), Corona (I saw 1 in the cooler), and Zywiec (at least 8 cases worth). My girlfriend and I were offered free tickets to the 10:00 Waaves show b/c we were the only people at the early show over 21. We waited in the musty basement surrounded by grand pianos, costumes, and even a harp. We were eventually ushered into the auditorium's seats overlooking a stage still set up for the currently-running play, and sat for awhile. Eventually 3 guys came out, handed out gummy worms, and proceeded to play the least comprehensible nonsense noise rock I've ever heard. The singer, shirtless, sweating, and muttering to himself between shouts of angry things known only to him, stage dove onto the sitting crowd, who proceeded to push him to the ground. This happened about 4 times. There was one guitarist and one drummer, neither of whom knew how to play an instrument, which didn't really matter anyway, as they clearly weren't trying to play the same song. After about 20 minutes, the singer shouted something into the mic, and they packed up their equipment and sat around on the stage waiting for Wavves to come out. Bizarre and entertaining, but I'm sorry I saw it.

F