Last Thursday, Nov. 9, Shipwreck celebrated the release of their Walk in the Woods EP at Cowboy Monkey. The four-piece unit tore through both new and old songs, finishing the night with the obvious crowd pleasers.
New Ruins, Carol Bui and her band and Decibully opened the show. As each new band came on, the crowd visibly became more and more into the music.
New Ruins started things up with an enjoyable set of straight-up rock. Not taking many risks with their music, New Ruins offers a good sound, albeit one with which we are all familiar. As such, the crowd remained seated throughout the set.
In stark contrast, Carol Bui and her band almost stole the show. The Washington D.C. based group features two female vocalists – one playing bass, the other playing guitar – and
a drummer. Their influences stretch from American rock to music from the far East, making for an eclectic set of songs.
The group began … well, the group officially began by taking a shot. But, they began playing music by stomping out a beat on the stage, while Bui sang over it in an unknown foreign language. The band proceeded to rock out with thumping bass lines, laced loosely with guitar.
Decibully brought a number of people to their feet for the first time of the evening. The lead singer laid out high vocals over the band’s chill rock. Suddenly, the crowd showed some energy, shouting out their approval between songs. To the audience’s excitement and approval, the band even pulled out some maracas and a tambourine on stage. The band created a strong presence on stage during their set.
Despite the fun opening bands, it was Shipwreck’s night. Personally, their closing set left me with nothing but Shipwreck on my mind while heading home.
What really sets this band apart is the quality of their two vocalists, Harman Jordan and John Owen, who both play guitar as well. Both have something different to offer to the band’s sound. Songs that Jordan sings sound different than songs that Owen sings, creating an easy way to break up their sets.
The local band kept the crowd enthralled through Thursday night’s set, garnering the loudest responses of the evening. One highlight of their set was “Cavern,” the first track off their 2005 release Origin.
Shipwreck is currently on tour in support of their fourth release, The Walk in the Woods EP. The group played shows in Oklahoma and Texas this past week.
The new EP is only four songs in length, but it is well worth the $5. The quality of the songs is nothing less than what fans should expect from the talented foursome. It’s a great disc to pop in for some smooth local rock.
The EP is a follow-up to July’s House of Cards EP. It is the second of four discs that the band plans to release in a 16-month span. Shipwreck is right on track, and more importantly on form, to meet their ambitious goal.
