UME Consider You' Ass Kicked!

It's Saturday night and I'm pretty tired and it's a bit hard for me to stay awake after a few too many Gin & Tonics chased with Stellas at Rudz last night. Not that I got stinking drunk by night's end but I did get tipsy enough to misjudge the width of the speaker I was standing on after I taped the clips below. Like a boob, I stepped backwards one step too far and nearly fell on my ass. Mercifully, I managed to not drop my camera or my glass but any booze contained within my glass found it's way to the floor to my great disappointment. Classy, I know. Anyhow, given my incessant yawning, I'll just keep it brief.

Sharks an Sailors ripped it up, sounding big, heavy, and full. Mike's months of lab work paid off in spades as his sound filled up frequencies that used to be inhabited by two guitarists. Well done! The highlight, easily, was Rickshaw which - even though I know I've heard the track before on myspace and the band tells me they have played it live before as a bookend to Topple the Pillar - last night they played the fuck out of it to where it sounded like nothing I'd heard before. The dissonant harmonics simply killed so much that the metal dudes in the audience decided that this instrumental needed a vocal track , commissioned the microphone, and dropped some fine cookie monster metal vocals over the tune. When the metal heads and fists start rolling, you know you are on fire. Welcome back Sharks and Sailors, you are frightening at full power!

Houston ex-pats Ume were, as usual, amazing. I particularly get a kick out of watching Lauren's guitar work. Her performance is kind of up there with Angus Young's but last night she was unusually restrained for some reason. Thankfully that didn't diminish her playing which was spot-on. I love it when she writes these snaking melodic guitar lines. No simple little guitar scale boxes for her; she just runs up and down the neck with abandon. Check out the first clip below at about 35 seconds or at about 2:30 at the end of the second clip and you will see what I mean about her melodic guitar-line assembly. Anyhow, less talk more rock - here is some Ume!!!!


Video 1 of 2


Video 2 of 2


Links:
Sharks and Sailors
Ume