Live Review: Bachelors of Art, Megan Jean and the KFB at Art Bar

The Playlist

Though They Peddled Different Styles, Both Bands Succeeded Through Vocal Excellence

Bachelors of Art, courtesy photo

This is going to sound sexist and politically incorrect, but it has to be said, and it really doesnt come out right any other way nothing rocks more than chicks in rock bands. Friday nights lineup at Art Bar proved this in triplicate with three bands fronted and dominated by women.

Megan Jean and the KFB is a duo of Jean and her husband Byrne Klay, but they filled up the room and opened the show with the energy of a much larger ensemble. Jean takes on the lions share of performing duties, employing washboard, snare, tambourine, and an inventively placed bass drum; its on the floor behind her, and she uses her heel on the pedal. She pounded out the low end throughout the set. Klays role is that of color commentator, plinking a banjo tied into some electric effects pedals for an unlikely melodic accompaniment.

Its unusual to see the initial act on a mult-band lineup fill the room, but Jean is that rarity of a singer whos as savvy an entertainer as she is a vocalist, coaxing the crowd toward the stage with comedic asides and her expressive face. Then theres that voice, a foghorn of emotional truth. Jeans a rootsier version of P.J. Harveys militant blueswoman stance, powerful and occasionally profound with a sometimes chilling tone that gets under your skin and crawls around as it rips a room full of listeners apart.

Bachelors of Arts fans are an admittedly aging force of former local scenesters who, if I were being a cynic about the reunited bands occasional live shows, are merely rehashing their glory days to the soundtrack of those late night gigs at the Beat or Rockafellas. Saving them and the rest of the crowd from what could have been a simple trip down Nostalgia Lane was the tremendous performance put on by the band, which in its initial incarnation morphed from an artsy gothic rock act into a hard-hitting goth-metal powerhouse, stripping its name down to the essential initials as B.O.A.

Vocalist Robin Wilson was always the focal point of B.O.A., and rightly so. Her instrument is a throaty roar that she exercises complete control over even 20 years down the road. Id venture to say that she looks and sounds even better today than she did at the bands peak. Their sound may be a little dated at this late juncture, with guitarist Tom Alewines delay pedal evoking The Edges early work with U2 while the throbbing pulse provided by bassist Jay Matheson and drummer Blake Liles is so much like Love-era Cult that the closing rendition of that bands Rain is just about the perfect cover choice. This didnt make B.O.A.s first real club set in two decades any less impressive, however, and both Megan Jean and her counterpart from headliners Handsome Devil watched slackjawed at Wilsons seemingly effortless performance.

Following two talented and charismatic singers would be a tall order for anyone, and Handsome Devils Molly Williamson admitted as much from the start of the groups set with the query, Yall dont want to hear another band that can hit every note, do you? The band then launched into a set of endearingly sloppy pop-punk anthems. Guitarist Jesse Ferrari handles more of the lead vocals than Williamson, but it is her smiling, sunny demeanor on stage that makes Handsome Devil more fun than ferocious. This is punk rock for when youre in a good mood. Shades of The Clash, 7 Seconds, and other predictable touchstones littered the songs, but it was hard not to get carried along in the enthusiasm despite the missed notes, making this the exclamation point to an evening of enthusiastic performances.

Read this article:
Live Review: Bachelors of Art, Megan Jean and the KFB at Art Bar