Whatever Gonzo says about Earwig, he's dead on. I know they've been around Columbus as long as I have and I know that they had a great following early on. I don't think I ever saw them and if I did, I don't know that that was the type of music I was listening to back then so I didn't pay them much attention. If Lizard and co. could invent a time machine and take their current sound back to '92 when "alt rock" was starting to explode and kids were going out to shows on a pretty regular basis, Earwig would have been even bigger than they were. Lizard writes some great, no-frills, rock and roll and he's got such a great band backing him up. It's a shame that they have to play an opening slot on a Wednesday night in front of two dozen people. There was a drunk guy -- possibly down on his luck (he was an older "non-regular" kind of guy) -- who was very animated during their set and kept yelling out compliments to them. I loved it when, after 3 songs, he said very loudly (and, mind you, there was very little "between song" conversation going on in the crowd) "Are these covers or do you guys write your own songs?" I looked at him and said, "You're at an Earwig show, not a D&D Acoustic show." (Okay, I didn't really say that to him, but that's the first thought that crossed my mind).
The Blood Violets were really, really good. Really. It's like somebody ripped a band out of a bar in England and transplanted them to Columbus for a night of moody rock. I can't put my finger on who exactly they sound like but there is definitely some Jeff Buckley, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, U2, Travis in their sound. These guys (and girl) have their mind set on living the rock and roll dream and are constantly on the road going so far as to move to LA (and before that, Nashville) in an attempt to get noticed by labels. They were close but never signed on any dotted line and are now back in Columbus (their hometown). They take off tomorrow night for a month long tour (they'll be gone throughout the month of October) and then return to hopefully have a CD release party at Skully's in November. They slipped me a copy of their new CD last night and it's amazing. Quinlan (singer/guitarist) and his wife Kylie (bass) either work in a studio or own one or something. It's obvious as the quality of the recordings is very polished (but not watered down). Everything sounds really top notch. If the labels were hesitant before, they won't be after hearing the new stuff.
The Blood Violets have definitely earned a spot alongside Bel Auburn and The Shatters as bands that I look forward to really seeing take over in Columbus in 2005.
_________________ if I had the time or desire I would post a pic of Blair from Facts of Life and 1990 era Chip to produce the same effect
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