Real quick capsule review of last night’s Glasslands party.

Waiting for friends to come in from DC kind of killed a chunk of our ability to go out. Thanks to traffic they didn’t get here when they had easily predicted so we didn’t get to leave the house until later than anticipated. We then split up, with the heading to the Montreal showcase where they went for Duchess Says and we headed to Glasslands for Hot Lava.

I have no idea how I found Richmond, Va’s Hot Lava, but I’m glad that I did. They make pop music. That is pure pop music with a delicate balance that allows their music to remain as sweet and airy as candy floss yet not falling over into the dreaded “twee” category. Lead by Allison Apperson, Hot Lava started out as a fairly simple two-person affair singing simple lyrics over simple loops yet an increase in craft has led them to becoming an impressive four piece with Allison now taking over guitar duties in addition to her vocals. In a few weeks sees their first vinyl release, a split EP with Blacksburg Va’s The Sad Cobras, so I was excited to see them perform the new songs live.

I had never been to Glasslands and I think that the multi-tiered stage was really interesting and the shape of the room gave it a unique feel. Dominated by the stage, there is a small area for an audience and built over the dance floor there is an upstairs seating area. There are projected visuals and the sound is excellent. Loud without overpowering, though there are spaces where you can lose the vocals totally to the instrumentation.

Hot Lava did not disappoint. The new songs are catchy and simple without being lazy and the older material continues to delight people who are unfamiliar with their work. They ran down most of their stronger, poppier material such as JPG in the Sun, Mummy Beach, Ghosties and Blue Dragon (on request, no less) and the new songs slid in perfectly into the set, not disrupting the flow of the set at all. I am looking forward to the new vinyl so I can really get into the songs while also catching what The Sad Cobras have been writing.

Boogie Boarder is one of those amazing acts that you catch and while it’s going you have no idea what’s going on, and after it’s done you are trying to walk back the past hour, trying to rejoin the broken minutes back together from your fugue. Essentially a noise rock band, they are a four piece who was a three piece who had formative figure Paul Gladstone back on keyboards for the first time in a year last night. I’d heard the name but never caught the act until last night and it was amazing. There was the primal joy of kids learning that they can make music while being put together well enough that the songs stand up on their own divorced but not dissociated from the live act. Spiritual six minute odes to the power of the past 30 years of rock n’ roll.

Cyrus Lubin is the drummer and he beats the drums like they owe him money, watching the fire in his eyes while he mercilessly pounds out some of the more complex rhythms I’ve heard in Brooklyn was incredibly entertaining. William Meismer is the bassist and superfluous vocalist and he used every inch of the stage and danced and whipped around like a live wire standing still enough to shout nonsensical words into mic. Mark Jack was not content with just the stage and threw himself into the audience with his instrument.

They’re playing Don Pedro’s this Saturday and we’re going to try to check them out in additon to Eula. They have a new album, Pizza Hero, out this year.

Category : Show Review