ISSUE #74 / August 29, 2019

Deadbeat Beat / all 📷 : TLM

More and more people wandered into Bric-A-Brac and browsed the merch, talked to the band, and added to the congevial, relaxed atmosphere a free afternoon show has. Chicago musician Emily Jane Powers pointed out how crazy it felt to be playing in the daylight: here we are, rocking out in full sun. (As if lovers of rock are vampires that would normally poof out of existence, but were instead experiencing a strange turn in the daylight.) Her music travels between genres, sometimes more bouncy, sometimes wandering rock, others had a bit of a down-home twang. Her voice could be wide and soothing or sweet and cutting. As she sang and played, she was bent by the music and couldn't control her need to move and reacting to the work of her bandmates. Powers’ performance brought the loose, free-flowing movements of hippies and ‘60s rock to my mind. Her stuff made me want to feel the music with my whole being. It was a sweet start.

The headliner, Deadbeat Beat was on tour from Michigan. The combo of lead vocals by Alex Glendening with the glistening backup vocals by drummer Maria Muccilli are the perfect “give me shivers.” The music had a decidedly lo-fi sound. Hardly a pedal in sight. It was raw, jangly, and chill. Their performance was chill, too. Completely at ease. Muccilli’s drumming was all in the wrists- a relaxed way of keeping the beat. The bassist, Zak Frieling, swayed and bounced as he wandered around. Glendening looked out at us through his hair. A casual kind of challenge. The music was bouncy, but there is an edge, you can see it in that look. Like, I’m cool, but fuck you anyway, “You got me wrapped around your stupid little finger.” He bent over his guitar and played a super strumming solo on their last song “Tree, Grass & Stone” which turned into an epic jam and a breathless way to end their set. They left me with that jelly feeling which seemed pretty great when I had just stopped in a record store on a Saturday afternoon and saw a couple bands.

-TLM