13 Pills at the Milwaukee Original Music Battle of the Bands - more photos... photo by brian rampacek- staff photographer |
by Cindy Steinle
club kingsnake staff
13 Pills
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wi.
http://www.13pills.com
13 Pills Concert Photos
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Milwaukee Original Music Battle of the Bands (Milwaukee, Wi.)
This was supposed to be a stage of the
Milwaukee Original Music Battle of the Bands. Grand prize for the winning act is a coveted Summerfest slot. One band changed their date, then the replacement band canceled. In an earlier review I'd mentioned that I wanted to see a longer
13 Pills set, and with the competing band backing out, I got just that. Sure, I would have liked to review a few bands here for you, but hell, I'll review the one that showed. Life is too hard for local bands in the Milwaukee market to back out of dates at the last minute.
The mix at the BBC isn't what I'm getting used to at Heartbreaker's. Vocals and drums were a smidge low compared to the guitars and bass.
13 Pills at the Milwaukee Original Music Battle of the Bands - more photos... photo by brian rampacek- staff photographer |
Turns out I missed something in the first 13 Pills show, and I'm ashamed to admit it, because it's my one non-vocal weak spot: Mr. Cooper rocks on bass. Picks are for pussies. It definitely came through in this performance. The bass on every song was something to die for.
The band seemed relaxed, playing as if it nothing could come more naturally for them. "Closure" is still a such a unique song for the band, mixing so many styles. Soft vocals, tender guitar, and then a force that comes from around the corner -- a ballad with balls. "Company That You Keep" is angry and hostile, wiith a catchy riff that runs the course of the song. The sometimes-haunted vocals "Medicated Flow" were a favorite of mine, and they closed out a damn fine set with crowd favorite "Nebraska." The show was basically a night with friends and some music. An intimate crowd, as the club king himself, B made it a point to circle the crowd and say howdy to everyone there. There is such an intimate feeling at club shows that I just love, I wish all shows could be this small. Then again, bands couldn't tour like that. Small club, close to the artists, no security blocking the way. That's something short of perfection.
13 Pills at the Milwaukee Original Music Battle of the Bands - more photos... photo by brian rampacek- staff photographer |
Their CD lived up to their live performance: Impressive production, great cover art, and a clean, crisp and very professional sound. You can pick up a CD at their shows, or contact them through their
myspace page for your very own copy.
By the way, they did win the round. It was a TOTAL blowout. While they didn't win the contest in the long run, they did get their own slot at Summerfest.