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It is such a seldom delight to be able to see a band play Little Rock two nights in a row.  Geronimo, hailing from Chicago, Illinois, was the latest band in my small, lucky streak of multiple show, visiting bands.  I got to Vino’s the first night of their Arkansan stint and was met by the usual gaggle of Schiller St. crust punk kids and a few of their friends.  I recognized everyone off the bat with the exception of three guys.  I figured they comprised Geronimo, and I was correct.  Local, slightly rock infused punk band Bratmouth, opened the show.  They played their set in the corner on the actual floor of Vino’s backroom.  It has been far too long since I’ve seen a band choose to play on the floor as opposed to the stage.  They played a short, but powerful set and everyone in attendance, twelve or so, was digging their sound.

Geronimo walked on the stage after a hearty thanks to Bratmouth.  I was not very familiar with them at that time, but I had been sent a digital copy of their latest tour EP (dowload link near the bottom of the entry) and had listened to it a couple times.  I was a bit hesitant at first with the lack of a bass player, but they really pulled out all the stops with drums and lower ranges on keyboard.  Regardless of my little knowledge of their band and my initial hesitations, they put on a hell of a show.  The only thing I regret, and that I think gives Little Rock a bit of a bad reputation sometimes, is the fact that half the audience left after Bratmouth’s set.  However, it was no sweat off the band’s back.  They were thrilled there were people out to begin with.

With a bang of the keyboard and the rhythmic beat of the bass drum, these three guys were off to quite a start.  On their Myspace page, they claim to be zouk and rock inspired.  I definitely got the rock part out of it, but was perplexed as to what zouk was.  I later looked it up to find that it is a rhythmical musical styling originating from Guadeloupe, Haiti, Dominica, French West Indies, and eventually spreading to many other parts of the world.  The Wikipedia article does a pretty decent job at describing it more in depth and offering sub-genres of the style.  I tend to think Geronimo draws heavily from the zouk-love variation where their music is slower and more dramatic. Though by no means are they a zouk band, there are very evident inspirations drawn and infused in to their music. 

These three guys from Chicago have a great thing going here.  Their music makes me want to watch one of those IMAX space exploration movies when I’m listening.  I feel like I have no cares in the world while I’m transported to a new and exotic place.  I love when bands can do that, and then on the drop of a dime, bring you crashing back to reality with a hard hitting, pure rock song.

Ben, Matt, & KJ played the next night at Pizza D’Action.  I was not sure if I was going to make it due to a movie night with some of my friends, but after a rousing viewing of Mortal Kombat, I made my way over.  I was thoroughly excited to see them again and support their music.  Even though their set started late, I was in great spirits and surrounded by good folks.  The turnout was better at Pizza D’s because of its 21+ crowd, and it was really interesting to watch those people, who had no idea there was a show scheduled that night, get in to them as the night progressed.  These guys certainly give it their all when there is not a huge turn out, and I admire and thoroughly respect them for it. 

It has been a long time since I have been so at ease hanging out with a band of people I did not know previously.  However, Geronimo put me at ease from the moment I met them.  Each of the guys is about as nice as they come, and it was such a pleasure to hang out and swap stories.  The night ended on a high note and hopefully their self proclaimed, but completely inaccurate “ Crappy Songs For Jerks Tour of 2010”  sees them gain more fans and create amazing memories.

-L

(Photo by: Unknown)

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