7/21/2006: The Frank Smith "Experience" at the Living Room

When life gets exciting, or adventurous, I go places. Like the Frank Smith Show at the Living Room, an oddly ambient and ambiguously designed small venue featuring a roots-rock urban cowboy menage-a-six, where oddly enough, the deisel button-down western plaid trucker hat wearing adidas pumping crowd was no-where to be found..... except, at every table. Despite the annoying person behind me keeping the beat with his toe slingers on my chair, the band easily took me into wonderland.....

"Are these guys good?" I thought to myself. Well, after trying to get past the foggy cloud of cool air and new york snobbery, I found a humble pie band of talented and dedicated musicians, of all ages and unique personalities. While I tend to seek exhibitionist performaces at their most garish (see Scissor Sisters), I equally found myself tapping my foot and exploring the good lyricism and musicianship, amongst the tortured, apathetic, and equally energetic banjoings.

"Will I see them again?" Probably not until they work on making their sound a bit more edgy. Frank Smith delivers a purly rock-cowboy alt-country sound addled with a little hard rock (thanks to the influence of the drummer mayhaps?) and seems too influenced (see Dylan and Mark Lanegan) yet to break ground for the daring ear, but it doesn't mean their sound is crisp, their lyrics great, and their talent universal. These guys should be watched carefully. Hopefully they will refine like a nice bottle of malt over time.