02-28-2009, 04:27 PM
I made the expedition to Bottom of the Hill last Thursday to see From Monument to Masses. They were headlining. The other two bands were Built for the Sea and Crime in Choir. FMTM hasn't played very many live shows over the last few years, or released any new material, but they've been working on it. They used to all be in SF, but their drummer moved to NY which probably complicates things.
I got their early, met up with some friends. Had a few beers. The first band started. Their mix wasn't so great. Vocals down, drums/bass up. They are a 5 piece: Drum, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Cello. The vocalist switched from piano to guitar for one song. It's too bad the mix was crappy. They have some interesting material, and she has a good voice. I'd like to hear their recorded stuff. Turns out my friend knows the bass and guitar players, so we talked with them for a bit after their set.
Next up was Crime in Choir. They were ok, but not thrilling. I got some veggie tacos and hung out in the back for most of their set.
FMTM went on about 11p. For a 3 piece, they have huge sound. They were playing a lot of new material. I guess their new CD comes out in a few weeks, but is available on iTunes now. A lot of it seemed like a rehash of their older material. They played a few older songs and rocked.
upz: It was fun, and it was nice to get out and do something. After the show, I said goodbye to my friends and drove home. Got in about 2am. I wish cool bands would play in Santa Cruz.
--tg
I got their early, met up with some friends. Had a few beers. The first band started. Their mix wasn't so great. Vocals down, drums/bass up. They are a 5 piece: Drum, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Cello. The vocalist switched from piano to guitar for one song. It's too bad the mix was crappy. They have some interesting material, and she has a good voice. I'd like to hear their recorded stuff. Turns out my friend knows the bass and guitar players, so we talked with them for a bit after their set.
Next up was Crime in Choir. They were ok, but not thrilling. I got some veggie tacos and hung out in the back for most of their set.
FMTM went on about 11p. For a 3 piece, they have huge sound. They were playing a lot of new material. I guess their new CD comes out in a few weeks, but is available on iTunes now. A lot of it seemed like a rehash of their older material. They played a few older songs and rocked.
upz: It was fun, and it was nice to get out and do something. After the show, I said goodbye to my friends and drove home. Got in about 2am. I wish cool bands would play in Santa Cruz.--tg