Local Bands Rock Out at The Duck Room

Scuzzs+Drummer+rocking+out+at+The+Duck+Room.

Scuzz’s Drummer rocking out at The Duck Room.

David Amirdjanian, Opinions Editor

edited to include more information about The Lizardtones

 

Four local bands took stage during a freezing St. Louis night on Feb. 24 at The Duck Room located within Blueberry Hill on Delmar. All four bands play an interesting mixed bag of rock subgenres. I went into this almost completely blind, so I didn’t know what to expect from this outing; up to that point I’ve only heard of The Slow Boys.

At the end of descent into The Duck Room you’re greeted with a warmly lit club style venue filled with indie teens/college students along with some late 30-something-year-olds in typical quirky delmar fashion.

Scuzz opened the show up with some heavy, head-throbbing, chest-thumping bass lines that could be heard from upstairs; their bassists 5 string bass was so low and punchy it made a world of a difference for an instrumental only performance. Scuzz is an instrumental progressive rock band but they give off more a fuzz rock vibe á la early Queens Of The Stone Age or Fu Manchu. The lighting effects were really nice since it was all pointed directly onto the performers on the darkened stage, giving the music a visually compelling performance to go along with it. The drummer of Scuzz was the centerpiece of the stage, and he was soaking up that attention by giving one killer show. The crowd was really feeling the deep grooves Scuzz was putting down that night and they let them know that by erupting in cheers after their act ended.

As Scuzz concluded their set, Synthetic Sun made their way onto the stage to set up their equipment – Just as the audience scattered wide to refill their drinks at the bar. The bassist from Scuzz is also apart of Synthetic Sun, a self- proclaimed indie rock band. Their performance featured heavy emo-esque vocals from the band’s guitarist, which took me some time for me to warm up to but their awesome instrumentals really was the cherry on top. The vocalist rocked out on stage, walking around and doing dope duets with the bassist. At the end of their set, they premered a unreleased song for the audience as a preview to their new album coming in the summer.

The Slow Boys were next, and as Synthetic Sun made their way out, what seemed as half of the adults left and was replaced with even more indie girls forcing their way up to the front. As they got on stage there was a short hold up with what seemed like the managers of the venue, they soon finished setting up and took up their instruments. The lighting for this set was very comfy, giving it a very home-like feel. A unique distinction this band had between the previous three was that they featured an electric organ, which was used in chaotic fashion throughout the show. Almost every other song seemed a little different in subgenre, they were all over the place but they made it sounds good. Easiest way for me to describe their style is if Ariel Pink made punk. Half way through the set, the band’s drummer and guitarist, to that point, swapped instruments for the rest of the setlist.

I was running short on time and I overheard from one of the members of The Slow Boys saying that the next band was cancelled for the night. I made my way back home with some sore ears, but it was sure fun. I became aware that The Lizardtones weren’t canceled the day after and rather The Slow Boys were the ones to get kicked out, shame I didn’t get to see the last performance. 

There’s something rewarding about watching local St. Louis bands perform. Check your local venues websites for shows, there’s multi-bands gigs featuring many local artists happening everywhere constantly. Give it a shot sometime, it is definitely a great way to spend a free evening.