The Displaced/ Owl Eyes/ Tristen @ Soda Bar- 01.30.11

Last Sunday night at the Soda Bar, NYC expatriates The Displaced started things off in front of the lovely ladies (and gentleman) of local local act Owl Eyes, who in turn set the stage for an excellent set from Nashville's own Tristen. More after the jump...

It would be easy to compare The Displaced to The Pixies both in band make-up (though they perform as a three piece) and sound. Guitarist M Simon Mandel and bassist Jen Jansen split vocal duties in front of Sean Powell on the drums. All three are very capable musicians and while Powell has the distinct disadvantage of being stuck in the shadows, Mandel and Jansen are very aware of their stage presence- I don't think I've seen a female execute the long hair rock-out like that since seeing The Breeders reunion at Coachella a few years ago. Once they had cleared the stage, the tone of the evening took a much more mellow turn. Three piece Owl Eyes, made up of Megan Liscomb on guitar and vocals, Christina Lucidi on keys and vocals and Mike Helms on the kit, alternated between garage rock-ing and folksy jamming, playing a hearty mix of their new EP and what was possibly some new material. Liscomb played the part of guitar pixie to a tee while Lucidi complemented her harmonies perfectly, both with the keyboard and her own vocals, and Helms kept the beat going.

Owl And Bear had the early word on Nashville up-and-comers Tristen, who dropped a set of country-infused indie rock in benefit of their debut album 'Charlatans At The Garden Gate'. Composed of Tristen Gaspadarek on lead vocals and guitar (and ukulele), Jordan Caress on bass and backup vox and Buddy Hughen on guitar, they immediately captivated the modest crowd with their special brand of folk music that had its legs in a variety of stylings ranging from neo-traditionalist pop to unabashedly country-fied twang. This show was right in the middle of a two month long tour that will take them across the southern part of the US, up through New England and back down the East Coast until they arrive back home. I definitely look forward to seeing them back in SD (most likely at a much larger venue).

The Displaced:

Owl Eyes:

Tristen:

For more pix from the evening, click here; for the rest of my concert photography click here.

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