That’s No Moon
With an affinity for delay effects and chiptune style keyboarding, Star Wars inspired band That’s No Moon opened up the night. With a reference to an Obi-Wan line it was clear that this band was going to let their nerd flag fly. Songs about Megaman and having feelings for your cousin were the most energetic pieces played by the Champaign local band as all songs were full of 8-bit style synth from lead singer, Ben Wilson’s mini Korg (a staple in the chip community). Even when the crowd wasn’t dancing, That’s No Moon kept pumping out with full energy and encouraging the crowd to get up and dance to their 4/4 tones. Also right in the middle of the set, the band busted out a very indie cover of La Roix’s famous song “Bulletproof,” a cop to get the kids into the music they were broadcasting and it most certainly did.
Village
Village came in next with dual guitars and everything of an early 2000’s indie rock band. For the first half of the show it seemed like Stephen Ucherek had a battle with the microphone. He would talk-sing a few lines then pump out a couple of riffs, rinse, repeat. A classic move that was improved with the solid bass line and drums in the background of every song. With the smallest amount of banter in transitions, Village got off with a full set of pure music. The best part of this great rock set was the loose sounds of the lead guitar that trailed over Stephens foundational riffs. Combined all together, this Chicago band put on a fantastic middle set that didn’t lose attention throughout any of it.
Hathaways
Forget everything you knew about Hathaways. They are new, they are improved and they have so many new songs. For anyone who was worried that this much sound would ruin the brother-sister set, let me be honest with you, it didn’t; bigger is better. Kate and James still have their vocals down and respective string instruments but with an extra electronic guitar a bass and a full drum kit behind them, their songs carry with them a whole new oomph. From wall to wall, Cowboy Monkey was packed for this debut of the new sound that still carries with it the stuff that made the original folk band great. This Champaign local band played the classic songs we know like “Experiment” and “Wait For Me” but with new additions the songs carried a whole new life. Everything seemed much more wild and very 2011, which is always a great thing. Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on the band’s new record.
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