Les Savy Fav and Rhett Miller

No, Les Savy Fav and Rhett Miller did not tour together to meld Alt-Country and the Brooklyn sound, but it would've been cool if they did.

Les Savy Fav happened on a Friday night at the Black Cat. First up were the Dodos, two guys with guitars and another with a drum, but they had a lot of soul. I picked up their new album, Visiter, yeah, the hype is real and it is good. You need to buy this album now to occupy your Saturday night to Sunday morning transition. And live, they are every bit as good as you would expect after listening to the album.

Up next were the Big Sleep. Truly a Brooklyn band that reminded me of a jam-band based Sonic Youth, I know, that reference was too easy to pull off. A groovy sound with a bass, drum kit, and guitar. There are sparingly little vocals, they just want to create a sonic environment to allow the listener to bang their head and wrap their minds around the seemingly complex, yet truly simple sound. They are a perfect headphone band, something to provide a soundtrack for your life.

Example, "Slow Race" is perfect to listen to while walking down the street. And live, it's even better to allow you to warm up. A chugging beat and riff that aburbtly stops and segues into another song like the snap of the finger. "Murder" is one of their songs that actually has lyrics, but the vocal is simply another layer of the song that melds into the instrumentation, rather than be the focal point.

And I loved their minimalistic stage setup, just them around a light blub to create an errie, yet inviting rock show. Get into them now.

Now, Les Savy Fav. Wow, OMG, what the hell did I just witness, I want to see it again and again. Seriously, this band is good live, plain and simple. It's the only show I've been that had a subplot with the President, his daughter, and a cybernetic bear suit, and it was awesome. I mean, the lead singer even wore a cape, how cool is that!?

The obsession and reverence begin with "Yawn, Yawn, Yawn." A guitar riff, that was it. Simple, enticing, and merged into the chorus with energy that could power a country. This song was just amazing live. "Reprobate's Resume." A crowd favorite that induced craziness and movement that coupled the band and audience together. I am still shaking my head at the actions of the singer, simply walking into the audience and inviting the crowd to get in on the fun. There is no secrets with this band, they live for music and people. Of all the bands I've seen, these are still the ones to beat, and I don't think that will ever happen.

Sadly, the next night Rhett Miller had to follow the madness of Les Savy Fav. He did good, but not good enough. Don't get me wrong, with just Rhett Miller, the weekend of music would have still been great, but Les Savy Fav is another beast entirely. But letting my memory go of Les Savy Fav. Rhett Miller was personable, providing great fodder, and generating great music from only him and his guitar. A simple show to ground myself back into reality and come to terms with Sunday morning.

I know, I am not doing the Rhett Miller show justice, but Les Savy Fav was just a juggernaut.