On The Scene: Tango 25-03-2012

Ok, first lets get this out of the way – this was a Sunday show. Sunday shows rarely work – the mentality of going that extra mile after a Friday and Saturday overload is and was simply not there. Do you know what works for a Sunday show – folk music – sitting down, relaxing, letting pristine tunes purify your sorry soul. Rock n’ roll – not so much. Combine that with a large setting that clearly was too big for its own good, and a terrible rash that came back from Hong Kong with me with vengeance, and let’s just say I was in no mood. But I’m not gonna let myself take nothing away from it, so here’s my last waltz with the JUE festival at Tango – Devil Music Ensemble, straight outta my hood (aka New England) in the US, and Eatliz, the art rock band hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Here’s the set-up for Devil Music Ensemble– scouring the earth for obscure silent films, they compose music over the films, giving each film their own score in a sense, and then perform it in front of a live audience. It’s a pretty nifty concept and I was excited to see how it would play out. For their gig tonight, they brought over the oldest surviving complete silent kung-fu film, the 1929 Chinese film The Red Heroine. Here’s a taste of how it works…

Musically, DME are top notch. Using drums, guitar, and string instruments, and some other sounds (sythns, vibraphone) they create a soundtrack that is energizes the story, keeping in perfect pace with the tonal shifts, wacky character, and even have a little fun on the side. I guess my only complaint would be the story within the movie itself, which moved at the speed of slowness. Seriously, not sure how they dragged out a simple three act storyboard into ninety minutes but damn, I was waiting for that climax, which was hilariously awesome, for a whole hour it felt like. Story criticism aside, Devil Music Ensemble brought the goods and hope they continue giving life to these silent films.

It’s hard to describe Eatliz’s sound – with a band consisting of six members (that’s a lot of guitars folks), they have a big sound which references many genres. It’s a little all over the place, but honest enough to want to jump onboard and get your freak flag out. It’s a shame it was literally dead at Tango tonight, as this is the kind of music you need a full, noisy house for. Lee Triffon is talented for sure, switching between high and low pitch almost effortlessly; she manages to pack quite a range of emotions in that voice of hers.

The rest of the band didn’t slack either – they’re tight – as complicated as the compositions were (like I said, four guitars) they looked like they could play with their eyes closed. I especially like how many ‘middle eastern’ flavors can be heard throughout the arrangements.

Really though, in the end, the lackluster crowd did start to eat away at the band’s mojo it seemed, and well by the time Lee literally hit the pause button mid-way through a song, which froze the other band members in time, holding their heavy axes motionless (reminding me of course of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), it was clear it they were not having it. So like a true coward, I threw in the towel, bowed out early, and found solace in my bed before Eatliz even finished their set. I’m not proud of it, but to pass the buck onto other party, I blame the JUE festival for putting on such a great month of shows (especially those last fours days) – I simply couldn’t keep up. You got me this time JUE, you got me good – thanks for the good times!