the botticellis, the mumlers @ bottom of the hill (review, photos)
On the eve of Halloween, I headed to the Bottom of the Hill to see a night of local music featuring the Botticellis (myspace) and the Mumlers (myspace).
To be honest, while most shows I go to, the music aspect is first and foremost, sometimes I go to shows where the social aspect takes precedence for whatever reason. This show was one of those instances where the music fell into the background somewhat, but I still have a few observations.
The Mumlers, all clad in costumes, took the stage next. After hearing a lot of raves about their live show and about the band in general–including a strong recommendation from Chris of the Morning Benders–I was happy to finally be able to check out their show. Their music is eclectic, drawing from folk, Americana, blues and jazz while staying firmly rooted in rock/ pop songwriting. The instrumentation is just as eclectic, with euphonium, French horn, trumpet, soprano and alto saxophones, and upright bass adding to more standard rock instruments. Their eclecticism kept the sounds new, but it also provided the one drawback: in a word, inconsistency. I don’t mean they were inconsistent in playing–they’re obviously good musicians and played in their laid back, loose style well–but I wasn’t consistently engaged by their songs.
It may have been just me, though, as the audience seemed to enjoy their set thoroughly.
I wanted note that they did a great version of that song that you hear only at Halloween: “Monster Mash”. Good stuff.
The Botticellis were the headliners of the night. I’ve seen the band a number of times at this point, but the band has introduced some new songs to their set, so that kept it interesting. They also played a few of my favorites–”I Feel Betrayed” and their cover of George Harrison’s “Awaiting on You All”.
Their encore included a minor key version of White Snake’s “Here I Go Again”, apparently rewritten and recorded for a compilation to be put out by a Spanish blog. It was just strange to hear that song coming from the Botticellis but it was fun.
