Miami invades Radio-Active Records this weekend with a performance by three of its best bubbling-on-the-verge acts. The trio Beings is already a favorite on the party circuit for its coed take on unabashedly loud, fuzzy, punk-infused, sometimes heavy-ish party rock. How's that for a string of adjectives? The main thing you need to know is the band is F-U-N, with appropriately spazzy, awesome drumming by artiste Betty Monteavaro.
But the main focus of this particular post is the Axe & the Oak, a duo originally but a fleshed-out trio with a drummer for live performances. The band represents a longtime friendship and on-and-off musical collaboration between its founders, bassist Myles and vocalist/guitarist Sander. (Actually, the Axe & the Oak is a clever nod to their manly day jobs -- Myles is a firefighter and Sander is a carpenter.)
If reverb-laden, horror-movie-worthy guitar twang mixed with slightly histrionic, glammy male vocals get you wet, prepare to mop up the floor. Though the number of personnel in the band is low, the production value here is high and the corny factor is low. No gimmicky psychobilly trappings here, just smart, moody songwriting and impressively flexible, expressive vocals. Fans of Nick Cave or even Roz-era Christian Death will find a lot to love in a song like "Vampire," which we've included for your free download below.
The Axe & the Oak. With Beings and Missing People. 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5. Radio-Active Records, 1930-B E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free; 954-762-9488; radio-active-records.blogspot.com
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