The dance-punk band So Many Dynamos headlined Allston’s O’Brien’s Wednesday night, with the bands Cinemechanica, Ho-Ag, and Thief Thief as openers.
So Many Dynamos’ last concert in the Boston area was the recent July 30 show at Great Scott. The group has a consistent following in Boston; they’ve played the scene numerous times in the last few years and haven’t had a problem selling tickets.
The Midwest band signed with Vagrant records and released their latest album, The Loud Wars, this past June. The Boston show was part of a two-week East Coast tour with the band Cinemechanica, a loud-rock, experimental group from Athens, Georgia.
The local instrumental duo Thief Thief opened the show at 9 P.M. Thief Thief’s Jeff Johnson and Colin Snyder are known for their cat and mouse musical patterns and finger-tapping guitar technique. I had a problem getting into the show at first (O’Brien’s doesn’t grant guest lists because of the venue’s size), but I ended up seeing the last two Theif Thief songs, which the duo performed solidly. I’m looking forward to seeing a full set of theirs on November 23 at Great Scott.
Ho-Ag, a metallic, experimental four-piece band from Allston, played second. For seven years now, the group has pushed the local scene with their hard, haunting sound and brash “speak” vocals. Their set was the loudest and darkest of the night, with dueling guitar and drum parts. The band’s last song was the most entertaining, with spastic, unexpected change-ups and the keyboardist accompanying the frontman with vocals through a megaphone.
Cinemechanica played third. The band’s stage setup was unusual and alluring; the foursome put the drumset front and center of the band, between two accenting yellow floor lights. The positioning allowed the audience to fully absorb Mike Albanese’s hard-hitting drumming madness that drove the beautifully forceful and dynamic sections of the band’s songs. In the song “Rivals,” lead singer/stage-right guitarist Andy Pruett went back and forth with hard and even harder vocals, resembling Trophy Scars’ Jerry Jones’ vocal variation. The band’s instrumental “Get Outta Here Hitler” was a pounding, inventive performance with winding guitars and intricate layering. It was a cohesive set that Griffin Kay of Dynamos later referred to as an epic Braveheart/Lord of the Rings fight sequence. Note to the ladies: Put your armor on and check out Cinemechanica!
So Many Dynamos took the stage at midnight, introducing the crowd to their new guitarist, Nathan Bernaix. The band’s music was poppier and much dancer than Cinemechanica’s, with frontman Aaron Stovall’s melodic whole-toned singing and the guitarists’ edgy, catchy riffs.
So Many Dynamos are known for the detailed work they put into their recordings—Wednesday night’s performance was no different. Stovall sang and played between two keyboards while adding electronic effects and percussion by means of a small Toca percussion set on the side of his keyboards. The guitarists played, sang, and tooled with effects, while the drummer’s kit was larger than average, and included a set of modified electric Roto-Toms.
The group of four performed with great energy, playing for a shoulder-to-shoulder group of fans who knew when to clap and sing along, joining in on songs like “Progress” and “In Every Direction.” The band saved three of their most popular songs for last: “Glaciers,” “Search Party,” and “New Bones.”
“New Bones” is a thumping, electronic, poetic track that really draws people who haven’t heard Dynamos before. Listen to the track on the band’s Myspace… if you like it, check out the band’s Purevolume remix of the song at http://www.purevolume.com/somanydynamos.
