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Boulevard, 40 Watt, 2/6/06
by Jessie Nelson  photo by Rich Merritt Itβs time for the boyband to get a makeover. Gone are the days of New Kids On the Block and N'Sync with their pseudo fashion and their chewy pop songs. The world needs intelligent music combined with their pretty boys. My vote goes to the boys of I came to this conclusion after seeing their February 2nd show, with Y.O.U and Pushbutton, at the 40 Watt as promotion for their EP Vice and Daring, which, thanks to the guys at Team Clermont, is steadily climbing the college charts. It wasn't just that the five boys are pretty, but their music has sing-along hooks, it is exciting enough that it nearly forced the indie-rock crowd, famously stationary, to at least sway their hips, if not break into full gyration. The most important crowd factor is the girls. The girls love Boulevard. The girls are Boulevard's Sixth Man. As the band stepped onto the stage, bleary-eyed girls pushed their way to the front of the growing crowd; they began to sway, as if on cue. I overheard one young admirer tell a friend that the guitar-player was *REALLY* cute. It didn't seem to bother her boyfriend who stood beside her in full support. He seemed just as into the band as her. And the world needs a boyband that boyfriends can appreciate, too. This requires something more than catchy hooks and that "star quality." This is where Boulevard shines. From the first song, the rock powers through and I can tell that even if I didn't like the music, I would know they were talented musicians. The guitar player, Robert Caruthers, effortlessly picked through a guitar solo worthy of a David Bowie song. The comparisons don't stop there. The songs have a brit/glam rock resonance that has been compared to Bowie as well as bands such as Pulp and Suede. The lead vocalist, Benji Barton, has an almost operatic voice that didn't get old after the first couple of songs. As the songs progressed, so did his vocals, and he gave a soulful response to the changing beats.  photo by Rich Merritt Steven James, the keyboard player, was almost a show to himself. He created noisy, space-aged bleeps, all the while looking like a mad scientist hunched over concentrating on creating the most important sound ever to be heard. Club racket neutralized his musical contribution, but he made up for it with dramatic flair. Intermittently his arms would flay madly in the air like a true pianist; I almost expected to find pieces of his keyboard strewn across the 40 Watt's floor. Holden Spaht and Donovan Baab, the bassist and drummer, respectively, were like the support staff to the three frontmen. They were pushed to the back and did not have the same tall, skinny, pretty-boy look to them. This did not diminish the quality of their music, but amplified the dramatics of the others. They still made an attempt to fit in with style, in all black with button down shirts. This was not a typical show for the seasoned band. The crowd was smaller and younger, and there was not the typical dance party to follow. As the headliners, they followed Y.O.U, whose musical style wasn't as cohesive as other acts that Boulevard traditionally plays with. Y.O.U played for what seemed like hours to a seated audience. When Boulevard finally took the stage, pushing one o'clock, the sleepy audience finally left their chairs to allow for movement and to get a better look at Boulevard's craftsmanship. It makes sense to see a boyband that can actually play instruments while still looking good. Boulevard is exactly that. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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