Somehow, I’ve managed to miss Dent May’s live show time and time again. Even after I worked an all day photo shoot before the show, the stars finally aligned and I made it to Holy Mountain last weekend to see Dent May and local acts Gang Sign and Tiger Waves.
Despite trying to catch and instead missing him live repeatedly in the past, I’ve heard Dent May’s recorded music shift considerably over the years, morphing into it’s present form, which resembles Jens Lekman. Built on upbeat rhythms, the songs are melodic indie pop tunes that May croons smoothly. Onstage, May shakes and shimmies, and his facial expressions are oddly emotive and expressive. Fans of May’s emphasis on ukulele may find themselves disappointed in the songwriters evolution. However, one-dimensionality can wear thin, and May’s prowess at song structure and melody hasn’t wavered.
Tiger Waves played the bills middle slot, treating fans to yet another show while frontman Reid Comstock was in town from New York. Comstock is currently living in New York to attend grad school while the rest of the band remains in Austin. Despite the distance, the band sounded great and continued to prove themselves as one of Austin’s most notable acts. As with another of their recent shows we reviewed, the set began with a cover of The Byrds’ “So You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star” and included Tiger Waves’ standouts “Fields” and “Summer.”
I hadn’t seen Gang Sign before Friday, having narrowly missed them on more than one bill when I inadvertently showed up late. The band creates light indie pop and benefits from employing balanced male and female vocal harmonies. Gang Sign is reportedly working on recording material at Estuary recording studio; we’re expecting to see quite a bit more of them in 2014.
Check out photos from the event below. All images © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
