Surfer Blood, the Drums and the Dewars at Bluebird Theater - 10/10/10
Tom Murphy JP Pitts of Surfer Blood rides a wave into the crowd
With the Dewars and the Drums
10.10.10 | Bluebird Theater
From the moment the Dewar brothers took the stage and opened with "Life is Like a Merry Go Round Until the Burial Ground," it was clear that they had ample personality and presence, something one of the brothers attributed in part to having six PBRs before getting on stage. There were some immediate and obvious touchstones to the music, from the eccentric, broken lyrical and musical phrasings of the Fall to the silly, sometimes inspired, playfulness of They Might Be Giants. A number of the songs also evoked Robyn Hitchcock's solo material, as well as Pulp -- but without sounding like any of that.
At one point during their set, the Dewar Brothers informed us that the place they're from is "a really good place to die" and then played "The Neverglades." This sort of sardonic, dark, offbeat sense of humor characterized the band's banter between songs, even when one of the guitars malfunctioned and one of the brothers awkwardly told bad jokes, knowing full well they were lame but somehow managing to win us over anyway.
Tom Murphy The Dewars brought ample personality and presence
If nothing else, The Dewars proved themselves to be a compelling band whose penchant for colorful storytelling only added to their already considerable charm as performers fully capable of laughing at themselves as part of the fun. You have to have a sense of humor, apparently, to survive being a band like this in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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