You'll note a decidedly pro-Columbia City Theater bent from Ye Olde Concerts Examiner; easily enough justified by the venue's great drinks, amazing ambience, and ace schedule of acts. Tomorrow night's show with Curtains for You, Ivan and Alyosha and If Birds were Bees proves no exception.
If Bears were Bees open things up with a one-man band set-up, fronted and manned by Ravensdale, Washington's T.J. Grant. His glib, charming, catchy songs combine the goofy humor of the Dead Milkmen and Ben Folds with the kitchen-sink eclectics of Beck.
Ivan and Alyosha celebrate the release of their new platter Fathers Be Kind, and it's a keeper--ambling and lovely folk-pop awash in acoustic guitars and dusky harmonies, sporting the kind of lazily enchanting hooks that fans of Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives and Fleet Foxes will rapidly take to heart.
Terrific as both of those acts are, though, Ye Olde is pretty much over the moon about Curtains for You. Their classicist pop sound hearkens back to Seattle's power-pop renaissance of the early 1990's, when bands like The Posies and Superdeluxe led a mini-movement of gorgeous harmonies, sharp lyrics, and memorable hooks. Guitarist Matthew Gervais and keyboardist Peter Fedofsky form Curtains' songwriting nucleus, drawing from British Invasion sources like Village Green-era Kinks and the Zombies as well as retro-pop outfits like the Posies and Jellyfish. Some of the humorously-wounded romanticism of vintage Harry Nilsson likewise surfaces. Like any really terrific band worth its salt, though, Curtains take their influences and run with them. And they're spot-perfect live, nailing the succulent two-and-three-piece harmonies on their recordings with almost-alarming consistency. Head on out to the Columbia tomorrow night, and prepare to get happy. Doors open at 9pm, $8 admission.
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