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Chain and the Gang @ Maxwells, 8/4/12

Poking around on Facebook one recent evening lead to my discovery of Chain and the Gang. With a sound landing firmly in the realm of garage rock, they were an immediate hit for me. Their tour for their third LP, In Cool Blood, hit Hoboken this weekend and it made for the perfect opportunity to really embrace a new band.

A baffling pick of support for the night’s show was Blues Control, an ambient duo featuring a keyboardist and guitarist. It’s way too clashing for the bill; I imagined the guy who booked this show just saw ‘Blues!’ and inked them. They were good on their own merit though, and definitely get bonus points for the use of a cassette tape instead of a macbook for samples. They just need live percussion instead of a drum machine, and they’ll be set.

Chain and the Gang features the duo of Ian Sevonious and Katie Greer as the front of the band. It’s entertaining watching their theatrics and conversational vocals, while a band in the background provides bass, guitar, and drums. Ian’s suave, and Katie’s spunk nicely balance out and make them a pleasant duo to watch.

This duo really are the stars, shining in the limelight with their stylish red outfits. It’s odd though that the rest of the group didn’t get the uniform memo. The lack of cohesion makes the other members appear as mercenaries. There was also no encore, and for a band that goes for such stage presence, that seems amiss. Musically, Chain and the Gang is sound and so worth a listen. The live act should just be a bit more over the top on their next tour around.

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About John Harrison

John Harrison is a music afficionado and web developer in Hoboken, New Jersey.
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