words by Jessica Clem | photos by Jason McClaren
The Slowdown hosted Snake Island (Omaha), The Biters (Atlanta), The Booze (Atlanta) and Rock Paper Dynamite (Omaha) April 9, and HN was there to cover it. Let's get to it.
Snake Island
Boasting a tight sound, Snake Island is a young band with a great bluesy, rock feel. Despite somewhat erratic and awkward stage presence, the band used this tension to draw audience members into their drink-inducing rock. With callbacks to The Doors, long instrumental interludes gave listeners a chance to focus on their musical talent. We were all appreciative that the band understood their purpose was to play great music rather than banter in between songs. The sound was clean, threaded tightly and stayed solid throughout the set. I’m confident that when their presence grows into their musical talent, Snake Island will have a significant future on the local music scene.
The Biters
From the moment The Biters took the stage, I was slapped with an '80s British acid-punk flashback, peppered with American accents and a drummer with a coonskin cap. Despite their punk appearance, their sound was quite poppy, uppity and clean. It was quite uplifting to see such a spirit of individualism within a band and to have all the members stomp the stage with heeled boots and razor touched black hair. However, we have seen it before. Their music stayed clean and rather repetitive, keeping the audience sipping drinks and swaying their heads to similar melodies and guitar riffs. The energy of the band was audible and more audience members began to petal out on the stage floor. The Biters were a fun addition to a great lineup.
The Booze
From the necks down, The Booze was a carbon copy of '70s American rock. From Atlanta, this band was refreshingly familiar yet fresh to the Omaha scene. With leather belts, tight hippie smocks and raspy Southern vocals, the band made the audience rise to their feet and make the stage floor damp with sweat. High energy and an obvious love for their sound make this band a must watch for future concert gigs. Every detail of the band screamed vintage, even their guitar and bassist shared a microphone, reminiscent of '20s female backup singers in smoky dance halls. After this performance, The Slowdown was a little warmer as The Booze make audience members prepare their feet for Rock Paper Dynamite.
Rock Paper Dynamite
As their name states, this band took over the entire show with a loud, rock sounds that made every crowd member stand to their feet and sing. While the opening bands were all enjoyable to watch, the genuine excitement and smiles of this band made the atmosphere of The Slowdown prickle with anticipation of their well known sound. Obviously the local favorite, Rock Paper Dynamite dabbled in the old and new with their music. Women at the front gushed at the lead singer’s feet and sang favorite lyrics with open arms, giving the band a mainstream feel. The chemistry of every band member kept the environment comfortable and upbeat. Bartenders slung more drinks as Rock Paper Dynamite kept the crowd yelling for more.