The Modern Age

We realize part of the purpose of this site is to talk about the shows and events we attend, but sometimes we get busy with real life (ie- job, friends, family) that we don’t have time to be up at 2am writing about the show we just saw. Seriously, back in the day (circa 2001) when we were still in college, we had far too much time on our hands and would obsessively post. But since this site doesn’t pay our bills, sometimes we put it on the back burner. After years of being chained to our laptops, we now leave all the up-to-the-minute and heard about it before you even knew it existed posting to the kids and professionals.

Ok, back to business…We didn’t realize when we starting writing about The Redwalls that they had a fanatical following. We assume this following is made up of 19-20-year-old girls, but hey, if you aren’t in that age group, please let us know.

A while back, we listened to a bunch of the songs the Redwalls had on their site, which sounded really impressive for such a young set of kids. That was part of the reason we made a point of going out to see them live when we heard about their show at the Mercury Lounge earlier this month. The crowd was packed–made up of industry people and a few wide-eye young women in the front row. The room that had that stodgy and sedate quality that occurs when people from the label and booking company fill up 85 percent of the venue. Work-affiliated boredom, if you will. But as soon as the band started playing, there was a palpable shift in the mood of the room–all of a sudden there was energy, excitement, and perhaps even approval from the crowd.

The Redwall’s music and manner harks back to the music legacies of groups like The Band, The Kinks, and The Beatles. We know that sounds pretty awful, as so many bands rip off those groups and produce less-than-stellar results, but for some reason when the Redwalls play there are no gut-turning feelings to be found. Although their sound is not “fresh,” it is genuine and real.

It is without a doubt that their youth is part of their appeal. The sight of their smooth faces lighting up with enjoyment as they sing their songs and their boyish bodies encased in 60s-style uniforms of tight straight-legged pants, flat shoes, vest, shirts, and blazers of various muted colors and embroidered designs almost makes you want to giggle with glee. It’s like watching life-sized My First Rock Band marionettes plucking their instruments with an earnestness to please their audience. The bob their heads left and right just like how Paul McCartney did on that fateful first Ed Sullivan show. The Redwalls are capable of producing that innocent euphoria that people felt for the Fab Four when they burst on the scene.

The most perplexing thing about this band is trying to figure out why Capitol Records signed them. There’s no denying that they are extremely talented. Their live show is tight and they emit a remarkable amount of energy and professionalism while on stage. Unfortunately, there really is no current market for a band like this. The songwriting is excellent, but too reminiscent of a bygone era. If you like good ol’ fashion pop music, then this is definitely your band…but how many people are seeking young bands that sound like they could have toured with the young Bob Dylan?

Maybe we’re wrong, maybe there are a lot of people who would like to see a group who is continuing this tradition of music. We wish them the best of luck, because it sure has been a while since we’ve seen an up-and-coming band give a live show that was so impressive as theirs were. If you do get to catch them live, you’ll be sure to leave the venue with a good feeling…and you’ll also start feeling a little bit depressed that you weren’t as motivated as these four when you were a teenager.