Rogue Wave at the Bottleneck
Rogue Wave
Saturday, 11-20-07
The Bottleneck
Better Than: America’s Most Smartest Model
Review and Photos by Richard Gintowt
Rogue Wave’s jump to Brushfire Records (home of Jack Johnson and G. Love & Special Sauce) made me reconsider a band I had always heard as contemporaries of the Shins and Band of Horses. Had I given them too much credit? Were they mere fodder for The O.C.? Did they enjoy playing music and surfing?
My skepticism was partially assuaged by the band’s new record Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, which has a couple absolute gems in “Like I Needed” and “Lake Michigan.” The entire record doesn’t live up to the promise of those two songs – and the band has yet to release a consistently great album – but I was intrigued enough to make the trip to Lawrence and catch ‘em at the Bottleneck.
I’ve heard a couple opinions that Rogue Wave is a bit sloppy live, and last night’s show didn’t entirely disprove that (some of the rough edges may be due to the recent departure of bassist and singer Evan Farrell). None of the current Rogues are mind-blowing musicians, but they’re all more than capable and they’re full of charisma. My favorite character of the evening was the tattooed touring guitarist (sorry, can’t find his name listed anywhere), who grinned like a madman all evening and made some of the funniest rock faces I’ve seen in quite some time.
The band’s affection for U2 came through loud and clear with bombastic numbers like “Harmonium.” Trouble is, most of these came towards the end of the set, and the first ¾ of the show occasionally dragged a bit. "Publish My Love" – heretofore my favorite Rogue Wave song – lacked punch without its slick production aesthetic. Another sticking point was the cavernous reverb attached to lead singer Zach Rogue’s voice. I don’t like it on records (i.e., Band of Horses) and I like it even less in a live setting, where I’m already struggling to comprehend lyrics.
One bright moment occurred when Rogue broke a string and called a band huddle – the result being an impromptu trip into the audience to perform a campfire version of “Ghost” while gushing girls circled around. I’ve seen Ian Moore attempt this sort of thing at Davey’s Uptown with not nearly as much success. Rogue Wave pulled it off smoothly, creating a surprisingly big sound with harmonies and tambourines. I think it works better with multiple band members rather than one dude creepily serenading your date.
The set really picked up steam towards the end with impassioned renditions of “Lake Michigan” and “Harmonium.” The band seemed to really click when Rogue was enjoying himself, and his giddy stage banter indicated he was in high spirits. “Hello. We’re the Polyphonic Spree,” he announced at the beginning of the show. “No, just kidding, we’re actually Architecture in Helsinki,” he later clarified.
It states on Wikipedia that Rogue started the band when he lost his job in the dot-com bust. If that’s the case, it’s apparently worked out for the best: Rogue Wave seems to have staying power. A couple bug-fixes later and they’ll likely be a top-shelf enterprise.
Personal bias: Dunno much about oceanography.
Random detail: Greg Franklin from Jackie Carol is the touring merch guy for Rogue Wave.
By the way: Jack Johnson and G. Love ain’t all bad. OK, Jack Johnson is. But G. Love used to be the shit, brah.
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