It was another sold out show at Bowery Ballroom, as shows there often are. I was expecting this to be a night of throwback music, since the lineup of bands all hearken back to the 60s era with retro fuzzy poppy sounds, whether it’s 60s girl groups or more Beach Boys-influenced sounds. I had seen Tennis at Glasslands last year when they played a short set in the middle of a lineup, and I was looking forward to seeing a full set at The Bowery, especially now that their full length album, Cape Dory is out.
First up was Holiday Shores, from my home state of Florida. The band is named after a street Nathan Pemberton grew up on in the panhandle, easy walking distance from the beach. The shimmery summery sounds of the Florida coastline come out of every pore of Holiday Shores’ music, with their poppy organ sounds, sprightly picked guitars, and some really clever bass lines holding down the rhythm under the melody. Their live set had much more vintage organ sounds than the recordings I’ve heard so far, but Pemberton did mention they were playing lots of new songs that aren’t out yet. Three of the four members sing, often harmonizing on stories that sound like they are straight from Pemberton’s adolescent memories. Listening to their set made me really yearn for summer again, the way I remember it.
La Sera is primarily Katy Goodman from Vivian Girls, and in this project she sounds much more pop than punk. Goodman must have immersed herself in 60s girl group pop music after breaking away from Vivian Girls, because that is definitely the kind of sound they have. Every song seemed to be another catchy pop version of an actually rather sad song. Goodman’s voice suits the genre well, reaching high chirping notes while scaling up and down with “oohs” and “aahs.” Towards the end of their set they covered “This is Dedicated to the One I Love,” by The Shirelles – a nice only slightly more garage sounding homage to the legendary group. The lighting tech picked up the vibe immediately, turning the lights on the disco ball so it suddenly felt as if we were at a 60s prom.
Goodman mentioned that she was from New York, and it was good to be home, however the fact that La Sera, as a band, is from California really shone through. They kept the throwback summer feeling going with their songs that sounded like straight up California beach pop. Goodman was in such a good mood – almost giddy – happy and smiley through every song. Towards the end of their set, Alaina from Tennis joined them onstage to sing some backup harmonies – a great addition.
The story behind Tennis is really too cute, as is their music. Two land-locked lovebirds decide to go sailing for 8 months, and then come back and write dreamy retro pop songs about their adventures. Their new album Cape Dory is named after the boat they sailed, and every song is a story about a place or particularly memorable experience the husband-and-wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore had together.
They opened with “Take Me Somewhere,” setting the mood for an old-school romantic evening. All of their songs are like short bursts of cascading sun on your face, and even though they fall into a very specific niche, they still hit all the right chords to put a smile on your face. What made me smile most was the connection Riley and Moore have with each other on stage. Giving each other little lovebird looks the entire show, they keep time and throw little smiles back and forth, and it’s so obvious that they are loving the music they are playing together. Riley stays quite, but Moore gives insight into their songs. “This is a love song. It’s about Patrick,” said Alaina about “Pigeon.” They even wrote a new song about a baby bird bird they rescued together, called “Robin.”
“Patrick doesn’t like me to say what it’s about, because it’s too cute,” Moore explained. Yes, it is too cute. But the show was sold out because their fans love them and their cuteness. Patrick remained relatively expressionless throughout these cutesy comments, his glances at Moore were still probably the cutest part of their set to watch.
They both have a clean cut, well-read librarian look about them, but Riley gets cool points for his cascading guitar lines and Moore gets cool points for her beautiful voice and bopping high step dance moves that she does. On “Marathon,” Katy Goodman returned the cameo favor by joining them for backup harmonies onstage. Moore remarked that it was the first time they had ever had backup on the song. At times, Goodman could be seen watching from the side of the stage, and Moore would give her a little wave. Could it be that these fast-becoming friends may form a side project together? Their tour together just started, so we’ll see if anything develops.
Moore took a moment to point out that they had only been a band for about 8 months, and now they were headlining the Bowery, like many of their favorite bands have in the past. That really is impressive when you think about it. I’ve read critics saying that the songs are good but the whole album is just too much of a good thing. Whether you agree or not, you have to admit that they are an example of the fact that it really is possible to just decide to do something and then make it happen. You live in a landlocked state but dream of sailing? Research it and do it. You decide you want to form a band and headline a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom? Practice, get some internet buzz, and make it happen. Is their current sound more of a novelty? Maybe, but that kind of pro-active thinking is long-lasting, and something to take note of.
Tennis has another show in Brooklyn tonight, at The Bell House with La Sera and Holiday Shores, and after all three bands head south down the east coast. Tennis will end up at SXSW on March 16. Cape Dory is currently available on Fat Possum Records.
