… And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, UME and The Red Painting – Live (July 16th, 2013)

On Tuesday, June 16th a mountain of sound was brought to The Record Bar in Kansas City.  Austin, Texas’s …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead carried it in on their backs and with the help of their friends, UME and The Red Paintings, dropped it squarely on our unsuspecting heads.  I should have brought ear protection.

The atmosphere inside the venue was one of quiet anticipation as The Red Paintings warmed up the crowd with their brand of politically-themed, anti-establishment Folk Rock Performance Art.  Guitarist/Vocalist Trash McSweeney and Violinist/Vocalist Alix Kol drive the fairly straightforward folk protest songs about environmental disasters and fighting the system, with a few samples and ambient soundscapes peppered in the mix to create a thought-provoking, speculative feeling, which tends to ease the didactic nature of their music’s subject matter.  At the same time, a masked interpretive dancer in a body suit gyrates on stage-left opposite an artist creating performance-specific improvisational paintings on the right.  The Red Paintings focus as much of their energy on creating a visual work of Art as they do on performing their songs, which makes for a very interesting and unique spectacle.

When UME took the stage, I felt the crowd’s quiet anticipation turn to excited expectation.  I heard snippets of conversations talking about how, “she’s such a good guitar player,” and having never heard of UME, wondered what I was in for.  I didn’t have to wait long.  The three-piece power trio from Austin, TX took the stage and immediately set it ablaze.  The half of the crowd that was still seated headed straight for the front of the stage to watch this storm unfold up-close.  

Guitarist/Vocalist Lauren LL is the core of the trio – the eye of the hurricane, if you will.  And you should, because that is exactly what comes to mind when you witness UME live.  Supported by the throaty growl of Eric Larson’s bass and the thunderous thrashing of Rachel Fuhrer on drums, this band’s sound and stage presence rival any act I’ve seen.  Lauren is not only a master of writing amazingly heavy and complex riffs.  Her stage presence easily matches the intensity of their music and leaves you wondering how she can play with such a high degree of technicality while moving around the stage as if her insides were on fire.

The term ‘Girl Rock’ sells the band short.  Upon seeing Lauren, one is immediately reminded of the great female rockers of the 90’s.  She’s tiny with long blonde hair, wearing a dress or skirt with fishnets and boots just like Kim Gordon or the women of Babes in Toyland, but they have a special type of sound, set far apart from the nihilistic, anti-social theme of that scene – one that brings back the power of heavy, triumphant, riff-driven Guitar Rock.   It’s like Ume channels the greatest spirits of the wild man Rock Gods and uses them to melt faces where ever they go.  

Then …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead’s turn came and the headliners used the foundation UME had constructed to build the levels of their Progressive Art Rock to massive heights.  All we could do in the crowd was let ourselves be swept along in the towering waves of energy.  

They were so loud that the sound was tangible.  I could feel it blasting me back as the pressure in my head grew and the hairs on my skin shook.  They shredded speakers – literally.  I think the sound guy working for the bar may have been a little upset, but it was a joyous occasion for those of us there for the show.   

Led by founding members, Conrad Keely and Jason Reece, Trail Of Dead put on an epic show.  Playing songs spanning several albums, including fan favorites, Caterwaul, Will You Smile Again For Me, and Another Morning Stoner, as well as several tracks from their new album, Lost Songs, they displayed a talent for sensing the mood of the audience and altering their performance in response.  

Their brand of Indie Prog Rock lends itself to improvisation and allows the band to enhance the entire experience by subtly changing the songs on the fly.   And though, Trail Of Dead’s music is generally classified as Experimental or Progressive Art Rock, their live show had a distinctly Punk flavor.  Guitarist, Jason Reece and Drummer, Jamie Miller switched positions throughout the show.  All the band members sang, including shouting out the occasional Gang Vocals.  Bassist, Autry Fulbright spent the last ten minutes of the show playing in the crowd without missing a note, somehow.  And no one – the band or the audience – had a moment to breathe between songs.  Absolutely everything was left on the stage in a show like this.  There was no saving energy for the show the next night. With Trail Of Dead, we were all dead and it was just fine with us.