[Invisible Boy]

Starting off the night was Invisible Boy, the side project for Vampire Hands singer/bassist Chris Bierden. Walking into the Entry, we were serenaded Bierden playing a staggering version of the Neil Young classic “Cowgirl in the Sand.” He started the set solo, only using his reverb-drenched guitar and his glassy falsetto, but was joined a few songs into his 45 minute set by a drummer. He switched back and forth form original numbers and covers throughout the set, covering additional Neil Young songs, “For the Turnstiles,” and “Blue Moon,” as well as his own rambling, folk and pop-based tracks. Like his work with Vampire Hands, Invisible Boy finds a way to present pop music in an interesting and compelling way, even if it may be the polar opposite of his main band.

[Invisible Boy]

[Invisible Boy]

[Spiritual Mansions]

[Spiritual Mansions]

Next up was another local band, this time it was the five-piece pop outfit Spiritual Mansions. Even though they brought a lot of their fans out (they had the biggest crowd of the night), their set was decidedly hit and miss. At their best they pumped out polished, slightly off-the-beaten-path pop music with strong melodies and great harmonies. At their worst, they sounded trite and overblown, and their songs came across as cheesy and lightweight. Lead singer Ryan Harris had a strong voice that fit their cheeky pop music well, but overall the band fell flat during their 45 minute set.

[Spiritual Mansions]

[Spiritual Mansions]

[Ramona Falls]

There are enough local and national bands that I know and enjoy that come to town, so I rarely find myself going to shows now where I don’t know much about the headliner. Wednesday night, for the first time in a while, was one of those nights. I had a chance to give the debut record from Ramona Falls, Intuit, one full spin prior to the show, but hadn’t formulated any solid opinions on the band. My main interest in the show was based on the fact that Ramona Falls’ frontman Brent Knopf is a member of the great band Menomena. I am a huge fan of Menomena’s studio work and live show, so I thought I would give this side project a chance. As I said before, I came into the night neither a supporter or detractor, so I was a clean slate for the band. Even after their 50 minute set, I still was wobbling on the fence. Highlights included the brooding ballad “Russia” and the more commanding “Always Right,” which found four of the five members of the band meshing harmonies. The fifth member, drummer Paul Alcott, made up for not having a microphone to sing into by using his exuberant energy and front row placement on to keep himself involved throughout the song (and the entire set). He made numerous attempts to interact with the small crowd and was an overall court jester, at one point giving away a drink that to any fan who was “one drink away from rocking out.”

[Ramona Falls]

[Ramona Falls]

[Ramona Falls]

The show, which was the band’s first of their tour, was a little inconsistent and showed a band still settling into their sound. While I think I was initially disappointed that the songs were more straightforward and less wildly chaotic than Menomena’s work (especially their last album), I found myself enjoying the set more and more as it went along. Knopf clearly has a talent for writing catchy but not cookie cutter sounding songs, although I am still convinced that his songs are better flushed out with his two bandmates in his main project.

[Ramona Falls]

[Ramona Falls]

While I was hoping for an epiphany during the set Wednesday night, it never came. I left the show neither rushing home to play the CD nor thinking the band was a dud. Maybe once the band starts firing on all their cylinders later in the tour, of if I had let the album soak in more, it would have allowed a more clairvoyant moment. I suppose I’ll just have to settle on the fact that I will have to stay on the fence about Ramona Falls, or at least for the time being.

[Ramona Falls]

[Photos by Jon Behm, review and videos by Josh Keller.]

Ramona Falls: Official | Twitter | MySpace | Wikipedia
Invisible Boy: MySpace
Spiritual Mansions: MySpace

Also: Invisible Boy “Strangers”