Shivers shine

America Owns The Moon, The Shivers, The Heartless Bastards
The Patio
Saturday, June 11

At first glance, the lineup Saturday night at the Patio looked like it was going to be Skinny-White-Dude-Fest. But come to think of it, isn’t that the basic description of most rock shows?

America Owns The Moon opened, and were the most consistent I have ever seen them — meaning they were consistently good. Having seen them a few times, it always seemed to me that they had some major high points, a few low and not a lot in the middle. AOTM was in an excellent groove.

Ironically, the group had some technical trouble right before they played “The Trouble,” but it did not throw them off. They were solid all night, with clear vocal and instrumental sound, and tons of pop energy behind them.

The Shivers followed, decked out in black and white attire. The band cranked out 12 songs, including fan favorites “E = MC5” and “Move All You Wanna.” Missing from the usual set was “Ice Cream Van.” Although I can surmise that this disappointed some, I was thrilled. It’s a catchy little tune, but apparently, even The Shivers realized that it was time to give it some breathing room.
The Shivers, as always, were non-stop action and energy as well, just like AOTM … and that was the problem with the third act.

The Heartless Bastards, while sounding quite fine technically, left something to be desired. I think it was … oomph. I was looking forward to the group’s set, as I had heard great things about them.

The problem was that their style of rock is a little more laid-back, a little less punk-ish.

The evening overall was a success for the Patio. I just hope that next time The Heartless Bastards are in town, they are able to play with a band more their speed and style, then perhaps the audience will be able to witness them in their element, at their best.