A buddy of mine told me I needed to go check out a band with him on Friday called Illinois. A few weeks back I came across a self released EP of theirs called The Revenge of Some Kid, which I'd been giving some spins and enjoying, so I agreed. I'd never been to Syrup Room before, and I'm happy I went with someone who had because I probably wouldn't have found it otherwise. It's completely unmarked from the outside, located in some old factory or warehouse in Williamsburg. For what the space is, I liked the place, though I suspect that the sound quality is hit or miss depending on who's throwing the show that night. Speaking of sound quality, the first thing about that night was that it must have taken 30 minutes for Illinois to get all of their stuff working and balanced, which was pretty annoying. It's not their fault when everything's cutting out and somehow, your guitar amp is picking up and playing a radio/television signal, but it's unfortunate nonetheless. This on top of the fact that their van caught on fire in the Lincoln Tunnel on the way to the show! Rock and Roll.

Illinois, however, were more than worth the wait. They're from Bucks county, Pennsylvania. They have a scruffy, almost hillbilly look to them. Their singer occasionally plays the banjo. And they were really, really good. Despite all the technical difficulties, they sounded great and the band was tight. The songs are catchy and well done, and were honestly stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend. In particular, they've got a song that could be one of the best singles I've heard in some time. It's super smooth and has kind of an early nineties alt-rock feel to it, kind of like the Gin Blossoms, but not exactly. You can hear it on their MySpace page, it's called "the Best," and I strongly recommend checking it out. The song is better live than it is recorded, but it's great regardless. I will likely listen to it about 15 times today. Generally, it's tough to pigeonhole their sound, but it has a strong Americana/southern influence at times, but done electric. As far as I know, they've not yet signed with anyone, but I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more of them in the future. I'll definitely be at their next NYC show(s), which are currently December 13th and 14th at Pianos. Dig it.

Labels: Concert Reviews, Illinois