Deep Cuts and Nostalgia - Extended Shimmy #1 (02.27.2020)

A usual line up consists of at least 6 bands playing for about 40 minutes each. There’s nothing wrong but sometimes it can get predictable. On this evening, there were less bands but more songs and left everyone with both a sense of fulfillment and longing for more.

The evening started on time at around 9:30pm - a bit of a surprise since gigs are notorious for starting late. Grrl Cloud opened the show with an updated set with Tamia using a bigger keyboard and Luis using an actual drum set. The arrangements were still the same but the drum set had a bit more oomph. They were a good warm up for a night of deep cuts and a lot of nostalgia. Up next was Ourselves The Elves coming back from a well-deserved break. They played to a massive crowd that knew all their songs and the older ones drew louder and louder cheers and singing. Next was the ever-popular The Buildings. They treated the crowd with both old and new songs with the old songs drawing a lot of moshing. The new songs sounded like more of The Buildings and felt as mosh-friendly as ever. They are definitely something to look forward to. The Itchyworms closed the night with a masterclass in musicianship. First off, each member had their own tech and the band had its own sound engineer. It was one of the rare times I could clearly hear the vocal harmonies over the instruments. While most bands would love to hear their guitars and drums, the Itchyworms let the vocals shine more. Along with their usual entertaining banter, they treated the audience with deep cuts from their Noontime Show Album and closed their set with fan requests ending with the karaoke playlist classic “Beer”.

The felt show felt like a big tribute to the fans who were there from the start and a showcase of how a band grows and matures. The long sets are a welcome change from the usual 40-minute sets and I’m looking forward to more!

Grrl Cloud

Ourselves The Elves

The Buildings

The Itchyworms