Check Out Columbia Citypapers Preview of Saturday Night

If you don’t know what Saturday night is look at the banner. Thanks to Greg Slattery and Michael Spawn for the write up. I am in Cats and Cobras and we very much appreciate it. I try not to write about my own band too much on my website so it is nice when other people have good things to say about us.

Shallow Palace
August, 16 -Headliner’s

August 16 marks move-in day for
USC, and with that comes a back-to
schoolshow at Headliners. Wonder what
to expect? Is it worth coming out? Of
course it is! It’s only five bucks, doors
are at 7 p.m. and this is what you have to
look forward to.

Shallow Palace

Shallow Palace’s sound has been

described as “indie rock” by some fans,
while others praise the group’s penchant
for energetic, back-to-basics rock and
roll. The members themselves have varying
influences, but the band’s sound finds
its core in the bravado, energy, and passion
of punk rock and roll.

Cats and Cobras
There is something undeniably retro
about Cats and Cobras. But it isn’t overtly
constructed like, say, the Strokes (Not that
I have anything against the Strokes– actually,
I really like them; but hey, they saw us
coming); but it doesn’t seem entirely organic,
either. Rather, the band’s sound finds itself
in safe middle ground somewhere between
1983 and 1994. The riffs are undeniably
rock, but there also exists within the music a
steady balance between confident optimism
and the kind of abject melancholy that creates
genuine connections between listeners and
the artists with whom they truly empathize
and relate to. This seemingly contradictory
characteristic of Cats and Cobras manifests
itself most clearly in the lead vocals, which
alternate between a Sinatra/Morrissey croon
hybrid and the sort of gruff bravado that lets
you know that no matter what he happens to
be saying, Tom Waits isn’t fucking around.

The Drownout
When was the last time you saw a keytar
in person? Well here is your chance.
The Drownout bring some dignity to the
dance-rock scene, attempting to even the
balance between lick-ridden rock and
synth-driven dance music. If you like
catchy and good times, The Drownout
might be for you.

Foxes That Fight
Foxes That Fight has been around for
some time now, and their sound has done
a good job of progressing over the years.
A sound rather original to Columbia,
Foxes That Fight have well constructed
song structures littered with jazz, funk,
rock, and ska. I hear everything from
old school Incubus and Sublime to King
Crimson.

Groove Stain
The ska craze was over years ago,
but the music of Atlanta’s Groove Stain
doesn’t seem the least bit dated. That’s
most likely due to the fact that they are
not purely a ska band. Their horn section

isn’t overused in the least, and they

definitely lack the happy-go-lucky “you-

let’s-all-just-love-each-other” feeling that

tends to plague so many bands that aspire to
rap n’ roll but smoke just a little too much
to totally forgo a subtle yet slick reggae
sensibility. I am tempted to make a strict
comparison to Skankin’ Pickle, but Groove
Stain’s vocals are too consistently aggressive
and defiant; which would normally mean
they sound a lot like Less Than Jake, except
for the fact that they really don’t. What they
DO sound like is a band whose sound may
not be entirely original, but they approach it
with an energy and sense of humor that, even
if you don’t appreciate it, it can’t be denied.