If you were looking for some live, local music all up in your face and an instance of upright bass surfing in PBC this past Saturday night, Lake Worth's Propaganda was your ultimate destination. With the recent change in management, Prop has been churning out great shows left and right, bringing in big national acts, but Saturday was all about our own scene. Put on by local record label Wayward Parade and West Palm's own Aces High Tattoo shop, Everymen, Lavola, D.V.N.O., and Adult Crash each brought something special and universally awesome to the stage.
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Breaking the ice was indie dance quintet D.V.N.O., kicking off the evening promptly at 10 p.m. with a new song. Riding high on a year that included sets at Warped Tour and Sunfest, the men of D.V.N.O. donned matching shirts, ties, and energy levels. Drummer Jacob Baez got in the "Halloween is approaching" spirit and rocked out in a skull mask as they revved it up and got the crowd moving with a tune tentatively titled "Waterdown Avenue." They wrapped up the fun and catchy set with instant classic "You and I Together" from their full length album, Dance With Me! In the upcoming months, the guys are looking to hit the studio again and record a five-song EP featuring an acoustic track.
Next to the stage was Lavola, a loud, atmospheric band that has deservedly seen lots of growth and attention this past year. They opened with "Vereen," their new single whose music video has been seen by over 2,000 on YouTube since its release last month. "The Queen Is Dead" was next, a fan favorite. Lavola preformed a new track "Give Up The Gun," written the week before and conjured up a friendly three-person mosh pit. Lead singer Julian Cires closed the set with their only stage speak for the evening, a simple "Thank you, we're Lavola. Goodnight." After packing away the gear, Cires told us that Lavola will be recording more and they "hope to bang out an EP in next couple months."
Adult Crash, a Jacksonville band played their first Lake Worth show ever. The rock and roll foursome had swapped times with Everymen; the two bands played Burro Bar in Jacksonville the night before. That probably had a little something to do with frontman Dustin telling the crowd "I want to get all fucked up like I did last night, but try to remember it this time." The tunes were crisp, energetic, and made us feel like we were in an actual garage. After the set, Dustin told us they were "bored on the ride down and decided to make a MySpace page. Maybe one day we will get to open for Justin Timberlake." And who wouldn't? In the coming months, Adult Crash is planning to record an LP, play more shows, have more fun, and get more MySpace friends -- yes, they realize this isn't 2005.
Headliners Everymen made it back to their hometown of Lake Worth from Jacksonville a mere five hours before the night got started. The local punk/folk heroes have had a busy year playing three Warped Tour dates, holding a CD-release party for Beautiful Curse at Propaganda in August, and then leaving the next day for a 24-date tour that spanned the East Coast and veered out to Chicago.
The stage was filled with an upright bass, violin, mandolin, guitar, and drums, and all five of the Everymen were shirtless and basking in their mostly tattooed glory. The most anticipated band of the night, they took a moment to sing happy birthday to a friend and mention that each band that played before them was "fucking amazing" before ripping into the good stuff. The crowd was dancing from the start, and Reid on mandolin joined in.
The punk songs with a folk twist proved for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience, and the crowd was singing along the entire time, including tracks from the new album. Everyone there reveled in the intensely unique spectacle. As a grand finale, upright bassist Tymmi brought his large instrument into the crowd, Reid hopped on the bar and shredded his mandolin skills, and Jesse grabbed his ax to join them. As if that weren't enough, lead man Serg joined in, breathing actual fire over his bandmates and sending spectators into a frenzy.
The night was packed with palpable energy and camaraderie between the bands and fans. It felt like a solidification of the power of a growing South Florida scene.
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