The Snaz And Vows At The Skinny Pancake October 17, 2015

Words by Tim Lewis.

I had a great time seeing music that Saturday night. I had been interested in both The Snaz and Vows but had not caught up with either. The show was listed as 8:30-11 at The Skinny Pancake, so that seemed easy enough. I got out of work at 5:30 and was home by 6. I grabbed a bite to eat and headed out around 8. The walk was quick and lovely, though just chilly enough to want an extra coat. I walked in pretty close to 8:30 and The Snazz were set up and ready to go. They did not have the curtain pulled to keep the performance room separate from the dining area, so I could see that I needed to pick up the pace. I got in and settled as the band opened with Try And Try And Try. It rocked nicely and set a great tone for the evening. They are a four-piece band with electric guitar/singer, keys/backing vocals, bass and drums. The music has an upbeat alt rock swing to it. The songs are short and poppy, but have a bit of a sweep to them. Most songs had an opening riff that slid into some nice changes and just made you want to bob around. The singer had a nice and solid voice that drove the music and the keyboard players backing vocals, including a killer scream at one point, filled the songs out nicely. They played a song they said was very new, that had a little extra sweep to it, which was pretty cool. The keys had a nice flow to them and the bass and guitar precisely drove the songs. The drumming was super steady, but had a few extra fills that could turn the direction of the songs on a dime. Each part was played well and the whole show jelled into some pretty sweet songs. The highlight was late in the set when they pulled out Running Away From Home. Their other songs are just as good, but they had just a little extra poise on that one. There is a lot to like about this band. 

I hung out for the set change and soon enough, Vows took the stage. They played as a five-piece with singer/guitar player, guitat/keys, keys, bass and drum. They were super tight and the music ranged from off-kilter dancey pop to almost progressive rock. They are the type of band that I hate to write about since I don’t know how to describe them. That said, I greatly enjoyed their set and they kept me engaged for the full 45-60 minutes. Each member played with passion and precision and The set was lots of fun. I think I need to see them again sometime to see if I can get more of a handle on the music.

After the last note, I took the long walk home. It was so great to check out a couple of bands I had been meaning to see, and it was even greater that I enjoyed both so much.

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.