#ohanlons

The lights dimmed at O Hanlon's last night as The Delta Throats were about to take the stage. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed but still in anticipation. Things started to pick up as a sexually repressed white woman in her 30s and her secretary/office girlfirends, presumably out for a few drinks after a long work-week at H and R Block, started a chant of "Music! Music! Music!" She clearly had no idea what was in store for her for the rest of the night as her and her friends left before the band even started, probably because one of them had to take care of her step-child.

Anyway, The Delta Throats started off the night with a classic Lynyrd Skynyrd tune "Freebird" as they were asked to play it. On a side note, I really have to give these guys props for being real crowd-pleasers; not only did they play "Freebird", they played it three times out of request, as well as "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show*. I was also impressed by the variety the band had to offer in their songs, they had some super-upbeat tunes as well as some chunky blues type songs that were on the slower side, all while staying true to their blues rock influence. The drumming of this band was tubular and really provided a solid foundation for the rest of the band. The guitarist provided the stage presence with his moves as well as raspy vocals that could have surely seduced the H and R Block workers that left. The bassist also played his chunky riffs, offered some funny stage banter and provided the band with most of the score on the Hang Loose Reviews Official Beard Power Rating ®. All in all, The Delta Throats provide some fun, swinging, bar-suitable blues rock that is dancable and pleasing to the ear.

The Delta Throats Beard Power Rating ®: 1.6/3.0

Next, Real Boys from British Columbia set-up quickly and started playing. The first thing I noticed was the voracious thrashing of the drummer, he was beating the heck out of his drums and kind of reminded me of Travis Barker in both looks and sound. This was appropriate for the band however, as their pop-punk influence definitely shone through. The guitarist/vocalist sang some higher-pitched pop-punk esque notes that were kind of unexpected but worked with the rest of the band. The way he held higher notes and fluctuated them (again, I mean this in the best way possible) almost reminded me of Bjork. The band as whole was comfortable and energetic and seemed to have their music well rehearsed. They kept kept the crowd guessing with trade-off tapping and odd breakdowns. Real Boys are currently on tour now, don't forget to pick up their EP which you can buy at one of their shows or download here. 

Real Boys Beard Power Rating ®: 0.5/4.0

Note: For those with butts that are easily hurt, The Hang Loose Reviews Official Beard Power Rating is NOT a reflection of the talent or performance of the band in any way, just a measure of their facial hair growing capabilities/desire. 

*The Delta Throats did not even play "Freebird" or "The Time Warp" once. C'mon son.  

Hang Loose, 

So I ended up at O'Hanlons Irish Pub last night to catch Lords Kitchner (one of my favorite local acts who I haven't seen in a while). 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a man on stage with an electric guitar and a beard. He was playing really mellow tunes, sometimes using a sampler to record himself playing the main chords before heading off into a psychedelic journey that were his guitar solos. Unfortunately, this guy must have slipped out the back before I could catch his name. But I am going to continue to look for it 'cause this dude was pretty cool.

The following act was a totally unique trio. Redrick Sultan's songs didn't follow many rules of popular music. It was awesome. At one point in the show, the fretless bass was passed from Noah off to lead guitarist Spencer while he played a keyboard with a very cool 8-bit old school computer game feel. Their vocals included the two frontmen shouting bizarre and quirky, (almost meaningless sometimes) lyrics. Which fit their funky tempo-changing, continually-guitar-soloing style. One song in particular that I enjoyed was about prehistoric creatures. 

Redrick Sultan is: Spencer Cargreaves: Guitar/Vocals/Antics, Noah Gordan: Bass/Vocals/Keys, Jarrad Bajeunesse: Drums/Trickery

Finally, Lords Kitchner took to the stage. Like I said, I am from the same hometown as these guys and so I have seen them before, but not for a while. This time, as expected, was no disappointment. Each member of this group are absolutely skilled at what they do. Each song shows off the talents of all of these guys at once. Whether it be Andrew vigorously slapping the bass, Drake going hard on his kit, Brett shredding away on his SG, or Garret blasting his vocals into the room, their skill can not be missed. Many of their songs transition smoothly into the next, making the whole experience of a Lords Kitchner set one you will want to see for yourself.

Lords Kitchner is: Garret DeLaurier - Vocals/Guitar, Andrew Fyvie - Bass, Brett McKay - Guitar, Drake Mark - Drums

hang loose,