Vedora At The Monkey House Friday March 16 With Kairos And Cameo Harlot
Words by Tim Lewis.
What a difference a few days make. The last time I saw Vedora, also the first time, they started a bit rough but caught a nice rocking groove. Matt’s songs stood in contrast to Caroline’s, with his a bit more blues based rock, and hers a more steamy understated minor chord rock. Apparently they had spent much of the last few weeks practicing. When they hit the stage Friday night, they were locked in and rocking hard. Their songs had plenty of rock and roll muscle, and it stunned me to see how much they had advanced in such a short time. There were no Matt songs. There were no Caroline songs. There was just Vedora!
They opened with a fun rocker that set the pace for the night. Maria came second and added a Spanish nuance to their sound. Song after song found the audience attentive and enthusiastic. Somewhere in the middle of the set they pulled out Dragnet. This time I knew what I was in for, but as the song built and built, then turned the edge into that wicked chorus, it just took me for a ride. It took me for the ride I want to be on when a cool band has me captivated. I was in a very happy place.
They played a few more, and they were all good. They spoke of recording their album. The basics are done, but it may be a while until it’s released. I can’t wait. They finished the night, like they did at Radio Bean, with Terrarium. That is quickly becoming a favorite, even though I’ve only ever heard it twice. I’m so glad I made it out to the show. They are so good and getting better by the minute.
Vedora started early at 8:30, so I thought it might be nice to catch some of the rest of the music on the bill. I had to work really early the next day, but did not have to leave just yet. I hung out for the switchover until Kairos took the stage.
Kairos are a three-piece from Rutland who play progressive metal. I’m not sure if that’s their preferred label, but that’s what it sounded like to me. The songs were all instrumentals and went off on musical tangents. There are no choruses or verses, they just lock into a groove and get rocking. The songs are heavy and intricately played. The musicianship was tremendous. They play with savage fury and rock on and on and on. I really enjoyed seeing them, but did have a hard time finding the groove. They were fun to watch and listen to, but they didn’t really pull me into any of the songs. They are the kind of band that I would enjoy listening to, but would not compel me to follow. Their hour long set was well received, but soon it was time to turn the stage over to Cameo Harlot.
I stuck it out for another long set break, and finally Cameo Harlot took the stage. Their first few songs were pretty rough, and did not sound very good, but as the mix improved, so did they. I only made it for a few songs, as I had to be up early. Their sound was a pretty dirty rock sound. They let loose some gritty hard rock that made me think of deep album songs by UFO. The songs, the attitude, and the playing were all telling me to stay and enjoy, even as my sense of timing was telling me to leave. I left, but did not feel good about it. I should check them out again. Soon.
http://www.reverbnation.com/cameoharlot
http://www.reverbnation.com/kairosvt
#Vedora
#Kairos
#CameoHarlot
This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.