Greenville Scene

by: Kevin Miller

The names often given to subgenres of rock music can be quite limiting to the labeled artist, but for all practical and linguistic purposes “shoegaze” was alive and well at Gypsy G’s on May 25th.

Backseat Dreamer play a form of dream pop that harkens back to the late 80’s and early 90’s shoegaze scene of England (My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive) but pushes toward the future with the use of live electronics and a swarm of dance beats. They are led by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sean Neuse and backed up live by Danny Doyle on bass, Brian Draper on guitar, and Michael Barksdale on drums.

Being that it was their first show and that they were using live electronics and sequencers, I was a little nervous that something might go wrong, but this just added to the surreal feeling that was in the air. The show started off with an intro called, “I Still Feel the Sunlight” that segued into “February Fires,”where the washing and adventuresome guitar work of Brian Draper began to transpire and texture the rest of the evening’s short but beautiful set. Sean’s vocal delivery was slightly halted by microphone difficulties and a sea of reverb, which kind of brought on an Alan Vega meets “Idiot-era” Iggy Pop vibe but stacked up well with the continuing sonic force. Next up in the set was “Heartache” followed by “Flashpoints” which gave way to an infectious Peter Hook/Stephen Morris-style (New Order) dance beat showing off the tight rhythm section.

As the set moved on, Sean skipped back and forth between the sequencer, guitar, keyboards, and vocal duties managing to keep his mini-symphony of soundscapes afloat. The next song “Captured by Twilight” continued the dreaminess, which led into the highlight track “Gold Dust,” dropping like a siren of disco wailing through space. As the evening’s set closed with “Keep You Forever,” I kept hearing the echo of Lou Reed deep within my mind whispering “electricity comes from other planets,” but on May 25th the “electricity” was coming from Backseat Dreamer in, of all places, Greenville, SC.

www.myspace.com/backseatdreamer

by: Michelle Hannon

O-cha Tea Bar is scheduled to close its doors on May 31st; however, in lieu of last night’s show I sure hope that doesn’t happen. In the back of the tea bar is a small space with couches where the musicians perform. Jordan Teague and Jonathan Edwards attracted about forty people into that small space last night, giving the best performance I’ve seen from either. The crowd was friendly and relaxed, due in part to the fact that the musicians showed none of the pretension that often accompanies shows these days.

The show began with the gritty, bluesy, rock/americana of Jonathan Edwards. The first thing I noticed was that Jonathan’s guitar playing skills have improved greatly since I saw him at an open mic night a few years ago. Since that time he has also developed his vocal style, which tends toward a blues/rock fusion evocative of Muddy Waters. Following Jonathan’s performance, Jordan joined him on-stage for Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash covers. I couldn’t help but think of Johnny and June as Jonathan and Jordan sang Ring of Fire together.

Jordan, accompanied by Jonathan’s electric guitar, performed a few of her originals which sounded more blues-like than usual because of the telecaster. I was quite impressed at Edwards’ ability to add meaningful parts to Jordan’s somewhat complicated arrangements. Jordan’s cool, calm manner juxtaposed by her intense strumming, was interrupted only by a few moments of foot-stomping, guitar-jerking rock. She continues to impress me with her guitar playing, her sense of timing, and her songwriting abilities. I also have to mention that she covered Wonderwall by Oasis and Brick by Ben Folds Five. Though Wonderwall is a popular cover song, Jordan added a bit of her own style which made it an interesting listen and sing-a-long.

Jonathan and Jordan enhanced each other’s performance so much so that I hope to see them together again in the future. Jonathan Edwards’ first EP Three Color Wardrobe comes out at the end of May. You may purchase Jordan Teague’s album Portrait of A Paradox on her website.

www.jordanteague.com
www.myspace.com/jordanteague
www.myspace.com/threecolorwardrobe