Here in the Live Music Capital of the World, we've got a disproportionate ratio of two-man acts burning up stages. We've mentioned Before Dawn, Killa Dilla, and BK and Mr. E; now it's time to behold the wonder of Not In The Face:
That's Jonathan Terrell on the left and Wes Cargal on the right. Terrell does the sangin', guitarin', and harmonica-in' whilest Cargal pounds on the drums. They've been around since '09, burning up local venues Momo's, Club DeVille, Ghost Room, Beerland, etc. with their hot-as-hades live act - Check out this article or this one to see the scuttlebutt pervading the interwebs - The rep following these fellas around is that they put on a helluva show. And again, we're talking about just two guys and their instruments.
We managed to catch their magic at Antone's July 9th, and sure enough, Terrell and Cargal brought it in and set it down on the crowd; turning us into fanatical believers in the process. Terrell scrapes on his guitar, dances, wiggles, shakes, and belts it out in a fervor of rock, daring the listeners to keep up. Meanwhile, Cargal beats the rhythm out with a machinist's precision. Together, they nail changeups, bridges, and climactic windups with a tightness that's a wonder to behold, aurally. We heartily bestow two thumbs up.
Terrell's guitar has a nice, warm, crunchy sound; and when you mix that with his voice, you end up with their sound being called "southern rock", or even "country flavored". But it's primarily the voice that creates that impression - The compositions, production, and attitude are pretty much In Your Face (ahem) Rock. It's the primitive, easily-understood structure normally called rockabilly or punk: Straight ahead chord progressions, highlighted with catchy riffs and solid drum fills, presided over by growling voice or warm harmonica; instantly recognizable even though it's new; singalong headbanging at it's finest.
Sounds good, eh? Go check out their latest release, Bikini, for a raucous good time.
Now about that live performance thing we're talking about - Enjoy this clip of these guys doing there rockin' thang at Beerland in the not-too-distant past, to get a mere taste of what they do:
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