Ten years ago, Trail of Dead was the hottest band in America. They were the band that played groundbreaking and progressive alt rock, combed their black hair forward, acted like brats and smashed their guitars on stage. It was aggressive, melodic, soulful music and you could not help but hurl yourself into the person beside you with a massive smile plastered across your face when you heard it. Music has changed a lot in ten years; Trail of Dead perfected alternative rock just when it was at its popular end, ushering in a 180-degree turn to synth pop and Brooklyn’s dominant indie hipster scene. Trail Of Dead are still releasing records but have fallen from the public eye and, while all of their energy was present at Lees Palace on May 3rd, they seemed to be phoning it in slightly. Knowing that front man Conrad has stated his disdain for playing live with a preference towards a life in the studio would explain why their performance seemed more like a job, than a passion.
Newbies Surfer Blood opened the show with a reasonable portion of the crowd there to see them, specifically. Surfer Blood have a great sound that mixes Pavement with bright summertime surf music, but even after a year of relentless touring they still seem a little green on stage. Their presence is a tad awkward but their running banter about their sound man’s fake birthday, pregnancy and engagement kept the crowd entertained along with their stylish licks wielded with playful immaturity. Surfer Blood's was a solid set, but where the hell was the guy playing keys and calypso drums that’s usually with them? I guess he had another gig.
Damn! The last time Trail of Dead came to town they had two drummers and two guitarists, which added new flavor to their set. This time it was only one drummer and the band's touring bassist, with Jason entering the stage in a full three-piece suit minus the jacket. Conrad was dressed in a stylish button up black shirt as always. Their set began with four new songs off of 2011 record Tao of the Dead which, for an aging band, is sort of a lackluster set opener. Not that the songs weren’t good, but opening with a fan favorite is a safer choice to grip an audience. That didn't happen, but no one could really fault the band damningly, Trail of Dead have never been a safe band and are past the point of trying to impress. It would appear that for Trail of Dead to tour these days they need to entertain themselves to keep it interesting. The energetic quartet finished introducing new material and chopped through their nine-song set with “Fake Fake Eyes” off of their debut record and only one song, "It Was There That I Saw You” off of their masterpiece Source Tags and Codes. A dedicated fan base moshed at the front of the room, but the rest of the crowd was vapid as they were there for Surfer Blood. Encoring with “Teenhood,” Jason kicked through his drums and smiled as he walked off stage. After a set void of “Another Morning Stoner,” it was a typical end to a Trail of Dead show. The smashing themed theatrics seemed forced and intentional, but there was no denying the band still sounds fantastic.
Artist:
www.trailofdead.com/
www.myspace.com/trailofdead
www.facebook.com/andyouwillknowusbythetrailofdead
www,twitter.com/#!/realtrailofdead
Tour:
Dates remain on …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's current tour. Find them here .
