TWM Presents: The Job, Invasions, Leonids and The Diamond Teeth @ Rancho Relaxo

I hadn't been to a TWM Showcase for a little while, and interestingly enough, my return to Rancho Relaxo on Friday night had me seeing one of the bands that I saw last time: The Diamond Teeth. When I saw them before, I thought they were a grand slab of fun, but there was definitely room for improvement. So how were they this time? Well, what can I say .. they improved!

The sound was a lot more controlled and the band was significantly tighter. But the best thing about this performance was the fact that the band was still having a blast onstage. Oftentimes that enthusiasm is sacrificed when a band reaches a greater level of professionalism, but if anything, the band was even more enthusiastic. And Friends Forever still had me busting a gut, along with a ridiculous cover of M.I.A's Paper Planes, complete with hyperactive spazzy sound effect screaming. Way too much fun.

Photos: My pics of The Diamond Teeth @ Rancho Relaxo are on flickr.
Download: Friends Forever mp3

Myspace: The Diamond Teeth

The next band of the night was Leonids. According to wikipedia, the literal Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle that is visible every year around November 19th, give or take a week. All fun facts aside however, the band Leonids are equally as impressive. I really appreciated the non-threatening nature of their songs. They were easy on the ears, without ever being boring, and they were non-controversial, yet far from stagnant. Incorporating elements of Yo La Tengo and Pavement, with also a touch of the Velvet Underground, Leonids have the potential to be real indie rock contenders. I'd personally like to see them showcase just a tad more confidence in their live show, but that really is only a minor quibble. I think there are more good things ahead for them and it'll be interesting to catch their live show again in a year or so.

Photos: Leonids @ Rancho Relaxo on my flickr page.
Download: Ark mp3

Myspace: Leonids

The rest of the evening was all about the rock, and to kick that off was a local garage band called Invasions. I don't like to throw the genre term 'garage' around unless its receiver is firmly ensconced in authenticity. That having been said, Invasions are definitely authentic. They display a rock swagger and a U.K. punk attitude that I haven't seen or heard since I first saw Tangiers a few years back. That band went on to streamline their sound significantly since then, which I guess some people like, but I prefer my garage rock rough, and that's the sound that I was hearing from Invasions on Friday night. Their raunchy vocal rasp coupled with their guitar rock assault whipped the already enthusiastic crowd into a frenzy. They've obviously already built up quite the local following as I noticed several people screaming along to the lyrics while tearing up the dance floor.

Photos: Invasions @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr.
Myspace: Invasions

And if Invasions didn't rock hard enough, well The Job cranked the rock level right off the rock scale, so to speak. They rocked! Their punk influenced high energy blast was a great way to end the evening. It was as if they took the frenetic vibe created by all of the other bands of the evening, loaded it into a weapon of mass destruction and fired it into the air so as to create a mushroom cloud of intensity that was going to make it very difficult for people to simply leave the Rancho, call it a day and go to bed. This is the spirit of rock 'n roll, and I'll bet that people must have felt the same way leaving CBGB's in '75 after watching The Ramones or Television play. I love the fact that, although the likelihood of these bands solidifying a comparable spot in rock history is probably non-existent, an event like this still has the power to raise an eyebrow and get people excited about local talent. The people in that room were clearly having a great time, and creating a personal rock history of their own.

Photos: The Job @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr.
Download: Killer mp3

Myspace: The Job