Due to there being two sides to The Prophet Bar (one a smaller venue, the other side an incredibly spacious room to accommodate larger shows), I think there was some confusion on nearly everyone’s part as to where this Wednesday night show was taking place. Since there’s a weekly open mic each Wednesday in the small room, the show with The Strive had been moved to the larger room. However, since a huge turnout wasn’t expected, half the room stayed in the shadows as they used the side with the secondary, considerably smaller stage.
Four local acts had been tapped to open, with Sharpy landing the main support slot; and given that it was the middle of the week, by the time I got there around 8:40 or so, half the openers had already played. Kind of strange, since things at clubs generally don’t start until nine.
Redline’s set seemed to be up before they were ready for it to be; though they had no trouble entertaining all who had ventured out.
I’m certain I had seen them at another Deep Ellum venue probably a couple years or so ago, and it was good catching them again. Very good live show.
It didn’t take long, and then the stage was set for Sharpy, a Fort Worth-based quartet who has been around for the better part of two years now, but also already undergone more than one bands fair share of lineup changes. Drummers have come and gone as have pretty much every other member, with singer Chris Perez being the only mainstay through it al. Eventually, this current lineup was born; and with only about three months under their belt with this incarnation, they’re back to being pretty new.
“Good evening, Dallas! We are motherfucking Sharpy from Fort Worth!” Was the greeting Perez made as they took the stage at 9:42.
They got 26 short minutes to do their thing, wasting no time in immersing those there in their dark, atmospheric brand of rock. You could immediately tell they could have used some more room, though had no trouble making the best of what they had, Perez jumping around, somewhat in place, along with outstretching his arms towards the onlookers, being as expressive as he possibly could. “…You make it worse than it needs to be…” went one of the lines; and there was a point where guitarist David Welty appeared to rush Perez, the two having some fun as they pushed against one another. It was a bit of a miracle that they didn’t knock bassist Amy Tate off the stage though, as she narrowly dodged getting caught up in it.
From that one, drummer Benjamin Drewes (who had knocking out the beats with a passion thus far) wound them seamlessly into the next number; one the frontman stated was titled “By the Sea”. He tossed the mic in the air a little ways, grabbing the cord to reel it back in after he had addressed everyone. The haunting elements of their music beds were proving to be a constant, creating quite the interesting vibe, different from most other acts. Welty stepped over to his amp in the back half of the song, hunching over some and swinging his guitar back and forth towards it, creating some complementary feedback. It then ended with he, Tate and Perez all thrashing about in synch with one another, timing it well to the percussion.
“Thanks for bearing through the technical difficulties,” said Perez, as they had had a few slight hiccups early on, along with mentioning he had been battling off a cold, and was still suffering slightly. That explained why the first song did sound a bit rough as far as his voice was concerned, but by the time that second one came around, the kinks sounded to be worked out.
“Boards”—their upcoming single—was quite rhythm heavy, being one of a couple Tate dominated with some low riffs, particularly at the start. It came to a sort of instrumental interlude, during which Welty knelt down and proceeded to fiddle with his pedal board, creating a variety of effects. “Hey, Dallas, we are here to make some fucking noise!” declared Perez as it began to pick back up, growing more intense than it had been at first, making it good for the vocalist to wildly jump about.
During that one, one of the onlookers took it upon himself to start his own clap along, obviously enjoying what he was hearing. Perez then took a moment to thank all the bands, which included The Crazy Ivans and Gentlemen Skeletons, along with The Strive for having them on the bill, encouraging everyone stick around for them.
By this point, he had ditched the sharp looking jacket he had been sporting, while Tate began “Questions”. In comparison to their other songs, it was somewhat slow—at least at first—giving it a completely different feel from everything else, in a good way. It did gradually pick up steam though, becoming another heavy hitter. Perez got carried away enough that he accidentally unplugged the mic cable, quickly noticing it and remedying the situation. It also boasted a lengthy instrumental outro, during which the singer bowed, holding the stance to the point he looked like a statue, ensuring the spotlight was solely on his band mates.
“Persona Memoirs” was a captivating number, complete with an interlude that saw Welty going all out, before Drewes eventually wrapped it by tapering off, making for a good end. They then ended their time on stage with what was said to be one of their newest cuts, “Alone”. “Hear the rain; watch it fall. Feel the pain while you crawl,” went the refrain heard often near the end, helping add to the imagery the song conveyed. Perez took time near the end to introduce each of his band mates; and once they were done, he shared some wisdom he had picked up during this performance, and that was to never swing the mic to the point you unplug the XLR cable. At least he could laugh about it.
It was a highly enjoyable show; and as for those technical issues at the start, as I’ve said before in the past, you can never really fault a band for that stuff.
They clearly put everything they had into it; and considering they haven’t logged many shows together as this lineup, they have surprisingly good chemistry. They worked well off one another yet had no trouble standing a part either, with each of the four of them getting your attention at different times.
Drewes was merciless on the drums, which made it all the more surprising to learn he’s still quite new at the instrument. Tate’s also fairly new to the bass, though you sure wouldn’t have guessed it just in watching her.
It was a solid show; and the music is different from anything I’ve heard. As I said, it’s dark, but still very rock oriented, and somehow, there’s strands of hope woven into all of it as well. It’s very original and very enthralling to listen to.
You’re next chance to listen to it will be July 19th at Lola’ Saloon in Fort Worth, which will make for a good way to spend a Sunday night, if you ask me.
A little before 10:30, The Strive took the stage to play the next to last date of a West Coast tour they had been doing (the tour began on the West Coast).
The pop rock style the Kansas City, Missouri-based outfit brought differed from the other acts that had played, though the energy they put into their show had no trouble competing with the other acts. Very polished, something any touring band should be; and they clearly were in touring shape as well, each member of the quintet being very in tune with the music. Vocalist Brendan Stevens was perhaps the best example, as he often timed his movements perfectly with the music, pulling it off with precision and ease.
They exuded hope, from the recently released single “Kingdom”, which the singer candidly said was about six months of crap he had endured. “…As cliché as it sounds, it’s about getting better,” he finished; while “Sleepless” was a very heartfelt song, which he set up as being about his mother, who had died from cancer when he was only three. It depicted the story of his parents falling for one another and then the struggle that came some time after; and beforehand he was quick to credit his father for making him the man he is today.
Few people stuck around for them, unfortunately, though The Strive closed the night down perfectly, making fans out of those who did remain.
It was quite a good Wednesday night, resulting in me getting turned on to two bands that were new to me. I had at least heard of Sharpy before this, just had never seen them, while I didn’t even know The Strive existed before this. I’ll be keeping close tabs on both from now on.
