Trouble the Waters' Birmingham House Show

The other night some friend's of mine that I'm fortunate enough to work with had a house show debuting their new indie rock and roll band, Trouble the Waters.  The room was lit with christmas lights strewn from the ceiling and there was a new keg, iced and tapped on the back porch.  The crowd was small, and the venue was just a living room, so it was lucky that the show turned into listening to a friend's band amongst even more friends.
The set list was written on a 10x14 inch dry erase board that hung on the wall opposite the band.  The first two songs of the set were hulk strong.  "Sleeptalker's Son" had a triumphant build up and guitar riff reminiscent of Modest Mouse's "Trailer Trash,"but at the exact point where it turns that direction the effect of the guitar changes to a beachy ukulele sound, bringing about a sense of a journey to paradise.

When I finally agreed to step outside on the porch to have a cigarette with one of my friends I walked into a conversation among a few guys who's age ranged from 21 to 46. I was surprised that contrary to ninety percent of music venues that I've been to, everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Where most punk shows contain a cast of pretentious and sober teens looking around to see who's a poser and who isn't, I only saw people looking to have a good time and talk about anything ranging from the relationship of Chris Farley and David Spade, all the way to the plight of the young, caucasian middle-class rapper.

I returned to catch the last three songs of the set and found an impressive range of variety in the track list.  The band's commitment to original music is undeniable and refreshing.  Where so many bands in birmingham have spent their time copying one trick ponies like The Unicorns, or dare I say, Mumford and Sons, this band has provided a sound of unique quality.

 My one complaint is that the show only lasted about an hour and the Cognac that the bass player's mother provided likewise met its end much too soon.  If you're in the Birmingham area on April 27th you'd be doing yourself a disservice to miss their show at Matthew's Bar and Grill.