The Psyatics tend to play the Double Down pretty much every month but this evening founding guitarist Jack Ball was called away at the last minute so it was decided that we would try it as a three piece with just me on guitar just for the experimental fun of it, as many of my combos have been trios anyway. There was some difficulty getting other bands on the bill as there were innumerable shows already happening this weekend, but the DD got the opener and Frankie Lee and the Infernos were able to fill in at the last minute.
Openers Scotty Dub and the Jellyfish were an odd combo - guitar, bass, drums, sax and percussionist - dressed in beach attire performing a mix of reggae and rap with a singer who sang out of a diving helmet while dressed in simply a bathing suit. Not exactly my thing, but certainly different for the Double Down!
Frankie Lee and the Infernos consists of singer Frankie Lee backed by guitar, drums and stand-up bass. The guitarist, while good, was far too quiet and a bit restrained and considering that he used a music stand, I assume that he wasn't overly familiar with the material. The drummer kept it simple while the stand up was much more animated with a good sound and Frankie is a talented singer. Their set was a bit all over the place - they did rockabilly tunes, country (Patsy Cline), blues, soul (an Al Green cover, which worked well), some new wave (Dramarama and Berlin) and even 60's psych ("White Rabbit"). For me, I think that they should decide on a style - rockabilly/blues would be logical for their line-up and overall sound - and hone in on that. There's definitely talent here, but for me, it feels like it should be fine-tuned. But then, what the heck do I know? They certainly had friends and fans cheering them on throughout their set.
Even with just three bands, the Psyatics didn't go on until around 1:30 am and by then it seemed like a lot of people were hot'n'tired and not that many stuck around until the bitter end. But, we had a good time doing a stripped down version of the band, with a concentration of the more garage/punk sound with covers like "I Can't Stand It" (Velvet Underground), "When Fate Deals Its Mortal Blow" (Scientists), "Two Timing Touch" (Hives) and lots more mixed in with some new originals. Thanks to those who did stick around - including a trio from Texas who seemed to truly enjoyed it all and engaged with us - and thanks to Nikki'n'John for the pix!
(Above Psyatics photos by Nikki Ruffling)
(Rich pic by John Armstrong)
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