When I first searched for Chasing Kings online,  I discovered a melancholy acoustic band that didn’t seem at all like the band I had heard so much about. Friends and colleagues alike raved about the group, but I was less than impressed by the songs that the group had posted on their site. I moped around the house for awhile before dragging myself out to Silverlake Lounge, full of misgivings about the show I was about to witness. Luckily for me (and for my friends’ credibility), the quartet was nothing like the pity party I had listened to earlier in the afternoon (to dispel any confusion, the Chasing Kings discussed in this ariticleis located at www.myspace.com/therealchasingkings). Obviously the fact that they were a smartly dressed quartet instead of a dreary acoustic combo was my first clue that this was not, in fact, the same band. They played a tight set, singing just as sweetly as they strummed fiercely together. With just two guitars, a bass, piano, and drums, the four managed to create gigantic walls of sound that managed to sound both fresh and familiar, tearing them down and rebuilding as often as their onstage artist wiped his canvas clean. The lead singer introduced the man standing behind him as artist Norton Wisdom, a man who could create direction and intent with a single stroke of a brush, always interrupting or altering paintings halfway-through and somehow creating something even more fantastic than he had just made. He painted abstract and expressive figures and musical instruments for the duration of the show,  wearing jeans and a simple black tee shirt with the words ‘NO WAR’ in white letters. The entire performance was incredible, and not just because I was expecting something completely different. Chasing Kings has an earnest charm that’s irresistible, as the crowd’s many collective sighs and sing-a-long moments could attest to.

Though it was the first night of their residency at Silverlake Lounge, Chasing Kings played as if it was their one and only. They describe their sound on their Myspace page as ‘bathtub rock and soul’, and I find that phrase oddly fitting for their blend of indie piano rock, dream pop, and soul.  The group commanded the audience’s attention on the small stage, singing three-part a capella harmonies that sparked numerous outbursts of mid-song applause. It was very obvious that the group genuinely enjoyed playing together, and their interactions onstage and with the audience were very natural. The fact that they were all very proficient on their instruments meant that they could color outside of the lines and still make their performance visually expressive, like when the lead singer moved suddenly toward the bass player to jam out before leaning into his microphone and singing together punk-style.  The crowd swayed and smiled, completely involved in everything that was happening onstage.

Mid-set, the lead singer cheerfully announced that it was the bassist’s birthday, then mentioning that it had been guitarist’s birthday the week before. He suggested that everyone give them each a kiss on the cheek, and the crowd cheered accordingly. Smoothly seguing into business mode with the grace of a seasoned stage veteran, he thanked us for attending the first night of their residency and invited us to come back the following Monday. He told us about the arrival of their 10″ record next week, expressing the band’s excitment at its impending release. He then announced the band’s next song, the title track from their curiously titled EP The Current State of Our Future (now available on their Myspace page) an song with an epic chorus of sky high oohs and thought-provoking lyrics:

When children find out buried bones

I wonder if they’ll ever know

Once upon a summer we desparate to be younger still

Only certain of uncertainty, old age is lacking hospitality

The current state of our future…

Chasing Kings made a ton of noise for the small space, and at times it was difficult to understand the majority of their lyrics in the din. What I could make out, I liked immensely, which of course made me want to find out more about this band and what they had to say for themselves. Needless to say, I’ll be back at their residency next Monday at Silverlake Lounge, and stay tuned to BestNewBands.com for an interview with the real Chasing Kings!

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