jeff

It's taken me a little while to get my act together to write a post about a recent Maldroid show at DNA Lounge last weekend in SF. I haven't had a chance to see the band in a while (it's been several months at least since the weird rave at that warehouse on Portrero Hill). They've got a new drummer, Hugo - a befitting name given that this guy beats the crap out of his set. He plays with total power and at times almost gives the band an unstable and unpredictable feel - almost like a train that is about to derail itself. But, for whatever reason, I really like that and it gives the band a much more "real" and alive sound. It's really hard to explain, but it's something that you just gotta see in person.



There was a certain newness to the band apart from the drummer that's also worth mentioning. I thought the sound of the guitars worked well together this time. Johnny produces a really heavy sound through his rig that previously overpowered Todd's tone. Something was different last weekend. Todd's tone now pierced through Johnny's "heaviness" and it worked well in tandem. I later found out that Todd just purchased a Fender DeVille (yes, I'm jealous). I wanna say that Johnny plays through a Vox, but not really sure. Nonetheless, the new set up sounded a whole lot better.



I still can't get over it, but I just gotta say that the two robot heads at either side of the stage, coupled with the video backdrop, and the outfits are great to see. The robots, er KosmoBots (sorry), are the basis of Maldroid's makeshift "light show." Given Ryan's video production capabilities, the backdrop behind the band was pretty cool to watch as well. The guys have also really worked on their stage presence and seem to be well coordinated. The one thing that always makes me uneasy is when Ryan starts spinning his microphone like some medieval weapon. One of these days he's gonna take out Sean or Todd - maybe that's how he keeps them out of center stage...



At one point, these guys even had the fog machine going - it almost looks like Hugo's drums are smoking from how hard he hits them - I swear to God, I don't think I've seen anyone who hits his drums so damn hard. Even Urbano, who, despite years (hah! had to throw that out) can beat the crap out of his set, mentioned that Hugo punishes his kit.

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm biased because we signed the band, but I had a lot of fun watching these guys progress from having played just a few times together to where they are today. I know Urbano, Travanti, and the band have worked their butts off and I think it's paid off. I'm looking forward to their next show.