In the last six months Sleeping in the Aviary has convinced me that they are the most consistently entertaining band in town, despite the fact that only half the band is still actually in town. In the past I didn’t always enjoy them, but every show since they opened for Califone back in August has been nothing but net. So I was a little worried when their set at a very crowded Rathskellar didn’t quite seem to be hitting it to start with. Maybe it was because lead singer/guitarist Elliott Kozel broke his glasses (spectacles as he called them) right at the beginning of the set or maybe it was just the crush of people that materialized from nowhere to crowd the area in front of the stage just as they started.
The Rathskellar has never been my favorite place to see a show, the sound is often muddy and the six inch high stage means that the bands disappear from view when just a few average height people stand in front. I didn’t recognize the first several songs which either means they were new or they were from the first record which I never quite warmed to. It’s probably not a coincidence that a good portion of their debut was made up of the sloppy punk that I also associate with the “miss” shows from way back when. I shouldn’t have worried; the middle section of the set saw them really hitting their stride. Several songs from their second record, the lo-fi revelation Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Motel, in addition to bassist Phil Mahlstadt’s zombie song and one of drummer Michael Sienkowski’s solo project Whatfor’s 60’s influenced pop songs, made for the equivalent of a highlight reel.
When someone in the crowd started yelling for a second Whatfor song, Michael merely smiled, “You should have been there last night,” referring to their opening set for the wish-I-could-have-been-there Vic Chestnut and Elf Power show. After that the hits just kept rolling, including a rarely played “Glow Worm” an acoustic gem from their first record and, um, the theme to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Way too soon Elliott announced they only had one song left. In the past I got nervous, thinking maybe they wouldn’t play the wickedly awesome “Gas Mask Blues,” a tune that teeters hauntingly on the edge of madness and leaves me with the shivers. Several shows on, I know that has become their traditional closer; no need to worry. And just like that another awesome set is finished.
I’ve always had a soft spot for tonight’s opener the National Beekeepers Society. Perhaps because they are still the hardest working band that has played the basement, no other opener has promoted a show as well as they did. Certainly no other band has shown up with a bottomless cooler full of free Hamms and then written a song about it with members of the headlining band (entitled “Free Hamms” of course) during a post-show jam. Maybe it is lead singer Nick Whetro’s awesome fashion sense (check out this evening’s duck sweater) or that he occasionally has a ridiculously cheesy/cool moustache, or maybe it is because of their charming and handsome lead guitarist Karl Christenson. More likely it is the fact that they play immensely likeable pop, and their new record Pawn Shop Etiquette shows impressive growth from their debut.
While they no longer wear their influences so prominently on their sleeves, they won’t be able to escape the Pavement comparisons until they quit writing quirky lyrics over melodies that end abruptly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m recommending that. I’ve always liked Pavement and they certainly aren’t releasing any new material, so it is nice to have someone filling that niche. Especially someone as winningly engaging as the Beekeepers, keep up the good work boys.
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