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Knowing that shows at Jake's don't usually start until 10:30, I got there a little after 9:30 thinking that I'd have time to talk to friends before Mustache Ride took the stage. As I walked in the door, I saw members of the band bringing their amps outside, and I realized that I misjudged my entrance.
Soon after I arrived, Deer Tick took the stage. Jake's was expectedly and uncomfortably crowded, making it near impossible to stand a) next to someone who didn't smell like punk rock or b) stand without people walking through me to get to the bar. The band itself was decent. I didn't really like them at first, feeling that their blend of country punk was too uninspired sounding, but they played a few songs that I absolutely loved, making me want to have those in my collection. Their closing was also pretty awesome, ending with "La Bamba."
Diamond J and the Roughs had a lot of subtle intricacies that I bet would sound really good on headphones. They made great use of their lead (and electric) guitarist, while the fiddle and pedal steel added some great extra flavors. Diamond J (whom I assume would be the singer) had a strong yet sad voice, and was backed up well be a girl who also played tamborine. She had a great voice and I spent their set hoping that she would lead a song. They sounded a lot like Drag the River, almost a passing of the torch on this night.
It seemed like it took a long time for Drag the River to set up their equipment, as the crowd waited with an eager patience. Once they finally broke into "Me and Joe Drove Out to California," it was on, and they stayed on top of their game throughout their set. The band was energetic on stage, and the crowd recipricated with an astute energy
while constantly dancing ir at keast moving (and singing) to their songs.
I liked the concentration on Chad Price's face while he sang. He looked like he was in his own world, with nothing but his guitar and voice to keep him occupied. Jon Snodgrass did a lot of the singing, and also a lot of moving around on stage.
The band as a whole were very tight and looked to be having a good time on stage (I'm sure the shots that were brought to them helped). They didn't seem to have a set list (fans actually ended up giving them
suggestive set lists), which left room for some down time, which actually built up anticipation instead of creating boredom and disinterest.
A great moment of the show when the rest of the band took a break, giving Snodgrass and Price center stage, which they owned. They played a lot of great songs including "Mr. Crews," "Death of the Life of the Party," and "Tired and Fired," among some other gems. The two men had such a presence on stage, only overshadowed by the excellent songs they were playing.
The band was down to one as Snodgrass took a smoke break while Price played a lovely version of "Tobacco Fields" and half of "Beautiful and Damned" (Snodgrass joined him again towards the end). The rest of the band rejoined them after that to play a couple more songs (including "Get Drunk"), before ending their ser and habging out with the crowd, a crowd that begged for an encore, which they eventually oblidged to, playing three or four more songs as the last call lights were flickering on and off.