Music seen, February 17, at the White Heart
By IAN PAIGE | February 21, 2007
Dead Armory at the White Heart |
Don’t you love it when an already solid band just gets better? Dead End Armory peppered their well-practiced set of palatable pop rock with new material exemplifying new tempos, darker themes, and a collective ease on stage.
DEA aren’t afraid to start out slow, letting Leslie Deane’s bass and Mike O’Connor's acoustic ring out while Wesley Hartley’s voice sets the stage for the story he’s got to get off his chest. Hartley’s vocals have the potential to be off-putting with a timbre akin to Neil Young or Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips, but cast aside your fears. Like his venerable comrades-in-song, Hartley’s Texan lilt draws you in because of its signature nature; you want to hear what he has to say. Once you’re listening, Chris Dibiasio busts out a nod-your-head-in-approval beat and the band are off, balancing laid-back guitar twists with a Pixies-esque ferocity that most bands only try to achieve.
How ferocious? Intense enough that Dibiasio ripped a hole in his kick drum. Fortunately, a show at the White Heart is so full of good will and grinning, beer-drinking music lovers that it feels more like a house party. It seemed a natural move for Hartley to play an old tune by himself while the rest of the band helped Dibiasio with a patch job. Moving into a beautiful little ditty called “Sober,” the lead singer was impulsively joined by audience member and fellow songwriter friend Paul Brown who stepped up to mic for some harmonies that, while not necessarily sober, hit their mark without a hitch.
Next on Dead End Armory’s agenda is the March release of their new EP, Trailer Park Nightmares. The Ron Harrity engineered record is comprised of one-takes for a live-sounding feel. Fortunately for the band, they don’t need to rely on studio overdubbing to sound tight. If their live shows are any indication of what the record will sound like, we’ll take it just as it is.
Topics:
New England Music News
, Chris Dibiasio, Wesley Hartley, Christian Rock, More 
, Chris Dibiasio, Wesley Hartley, Christian Rock, Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music, Leslie Deane, Mike O'Connor, Neil Young, Paul Brown, Less 
