I don’t often book bands I haven’t seem, and it’s been years since I’ve booked a band I haven’t actually heard, but sometimes there are exceptions. The only thing that I knew about the Hushdrops is that they had been around forever, though they seldom play and even less frequently release a record, and that drummer Joe Camarillo was one of the members. Add to that the fact that Kelly Hogan was the one who sent them emphatically my way, and I said yes in a heartbeat. In addition to Camarillo, who drums with the Waco Brothers, Skull Orchard and many others, the other band members keep busy too. Lead singer/songwriter John San Juan has solo projects and a real job, while bassist Jim Shapiro is the drummer for Veruca Salt, who have recently been quite active. Given the schedules, it’s no wonder they took so long between releases and why scheduling a tour can be a bit of a challenge.
Tomorrow Vol 2 followed volume one almost a decade later,
and the double record set is an eclectic mix of classic rock ready anthems and
catchy power pop. Some instantly
memorable, some harder to pin down. Live
they also varied from one end of the spectrum to the other, from polished
rockers to gritty breakdowns. While much
of the time their vocals were smooth and harmonic, they could also be raw and
cacophonic. Though the latter might have
as much to do with a bottle of Powers as it did with infrequency of
playing. Even when it didn’t sound
amazing, it was still a ton of fun, and the just past awkward sized audience
was enthusiastic about a band some of them hadn’t seen in years.
I was a bit at a loss of who to ask to open. The only band that came to mind already had a
gig, which was surprising since they don’t play that often. Eventually I came up with Paul Otteson’s Faux
Fawn. They aren’t the same genre, but
they are really good. Vocalist Audre Rae
is the newest member of the band, and an excellent addition. Her grounded vocals serve to anchor Otteson’s
almost too pretty voice. Even more
remarkably, she manages to keep up with him lyrically. There are a lot of words in his songs, and
she gets by with only a few glances at her page of notes. The rhythm section is impeccable, the always
smiling Luke Bassuener on drums and upright bassist Tom McCarty make for a
formidable combo. Otteson reminisced
about his CD release show in the basement years earlier, and how Rae had been
in the audience that night, “falling in love with the drummer.” The two do make an adorable couple. In fact, everything about Faux Fawn was
perfect tonight. My sound guy swooned
over them, declaring his perfect show would be them and Team Awesome (who had
played just a few weeks earlier). Not a
bad idea.
Faux Fawn
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