Audio By Carbonatix
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| James Bratton and Tom Gorio of Radar vs. Wolf |
Radar vs. Wolf
With boyhaveheart, Danielle Steele, and the Speakeasies
Sweat Records, Miami
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Better Than: Playing musical chairs.
The Review:
Radar vs. Wolf had it all planned out: They picked out the venue, assembled the line-up, and even made billboard-sized cutouts resembling what they thought to be a “radar” and a “wolf”–more wolf/man, actually–to be displayed as their background setting. A big tub of popcorn was passed around as event-goers took full advantage of the espresso bar at Sweat Records. A hodgepodge of hipsters, parents and spillover from neighboring Churchill’s mingled and shopped as they waited patiently for this “Sweet Party” to begin.
First up was boyhaveheart!, a one-man band lead by Ryan Markus on acoustic guitar. Sounding akin to nevershoutnever, he sang about everything from stupid girls to “Bitches ain’t shit but hoes and tricks.” But don’t be fooled by quirky song titles and lyrics: His music was all heart.
Next up–and quite possibly the standout performance of the night–Radar vs. Wolf took to the stage, life-sized Cardboard in tow. Resembling those funny cutouts you might see at a carnival, they quickly propped them up behind them and began.
For their first-ever Miami performance, Tom Gorrio and James Bratton
had real stage presence. They played like they’ve been together for
years, cleanly mixing acoustics with smooth vocals and a Vampire
Weekend-esque vacation vibe. They interacted with the crowd, took votes
to see how many people they actually “knew,” and even asked the
audience to participate in a song and jingle their keys as a background
sound effect to go along with the tambourine propped on Gorrio’s foot.
They rotated instruments practically every song and at one point
Bratton even made a beating drum noise with his mouth as he lightly
tapped a drum with wire brushes. The crowd ate it all up, chanting and
cheering and at one point even causing Markus to shout “You guys are
beautiful,” prompting Bratton’s witty “Wow, that boy really does
have heart” reply. Rather than appearing distracted by all the
interchanges, they seemed energized by them, playing song after
charge-hitting song, with the ease of pros.
Last on the roster was Danielle Steele and the Speakeasies, a
perfect end to the night. Their songs felt almost like lullabies, only
heightened by the trumpet and drums. One plucked her S-shaped violin as
Steele sang with vocals so harmonious they almost felt like a yodel at
times. Strongly resembling a Kate Nash/Regina Spektor/Jolie Holland
mishmash, Steele’s soft-spoken words were only trumped by her ukulele.
Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: I enjoy beachy sounding acoustics and good lyrics–and they had both.
Random Detail: It was really hot in there on
Saturday. So hot, in fact, that one of the guys in the crowd jokingly
offered to leave the room when a band member mentioned it. Zing!
By the Way: Radar vs. Wolf are playing another show–their second in Miami–at Churchill’s on Wednesday.
