The Mahones – The Vogue – June 12, 2014
The Mahones/ The Involuntary’s/ The Innocent Boys
The Vogue
June 12, 2014
Written by: Zen Wild
Photos by: Tony Vasquez of Vasquez Photography
We have the privilege of being at The Vogue’s first Punk Rock Night, which luckily enough has The Mahones headlining, along with The Involuntary’s and The Innocent Boys. Since this is the first of many (hopefully) of these nights to come, the crowd is a bit sparse, as one could assume that, perhaps, the word hasn’t yet spread. Large crowd or small crowd, if anyone knows anything about punk bands, they’ll know that these bands are going to give it their all, one way or another. That’s something that has to be respected about this style of music. The musicians always seem to be close to their fans, and whether they’re getting paid a lot or a little, their music speaks volumes, literally and figuratively.
The first opener, The Innocent Boys, start off the show a bit later than expected, but to
me, the wait is well worth it. They play an interesting mix of bluegrass, punk, folk, and
country, with elements from a couple other genres thrown in for good measure, and from the moment you see the instruments played, you can tell that is probably going to be something in that vein. The upright bass is a clue. Unless you knew punk was going to be involved, though, you might not guess it’s going to be included. They start playing, and I can’t help but find myself enjoying the music from the first note. I recently saw The Devil Makes Three, and I can find similarity, loosely, in the two. It’s a great set played in front of a small crowd, but as I alluded to before, it doesn’t seem to bother them in the least.
The second band, The Involuntary’s has a sound much more similar to traditional punk, with that thrashing, angst-filled sound you’d expect to come screaming out of garages all around the nation. I’m not sure how many songs they play, but it has to be a decent amount, because many of them are of the two-minute variety, but the crowd, which has grown by this point, seems to love it, jumping up and down, and screaming lyrics back at the musicians. My favorite parts are during a few of the breakdowns in their songs, in which elements of ska and reggae are thrown in. It’s a nice counterbalance to the angry roar of their guitars, found in most of their songs, and gives the bassist a bit more space in which to move and be heard.
The Mahones, I have never seen before, and was just recently introduced to them by 
someone who saw them open up for the Dropkick Murphy’s last year. In the intermission between bands, I meet a few people who happened to be at that show, as well, and assure me that The Mahones are going to be great. When I head back inside, and the band comes on stage, it’s obvious that the crowd in front of them isn’t as big as that one that came along with opening for the Dropkick Murphy’s, but the people who are there are ready to rock and shout their approval at The Mahone’s entrance.
Once they start playing, you can hear that Irish punk sound coming through loud and clear. You see some of the instruments you might expect: electric mandolin (playing rhythm), electric guitar (also playing rhythm), bass, and drums. What you might not expect to find, if you hadn’t seen them before, is the inclusion of an accordion, played by Katie McConnell, wife of Finny McConnell (lead singer/guitarist). Her energy is incredible. She is all over the stage, dancing and hopping around, all while whipping out blistering lead-lines from accordion, sending fans into a frenzy. At several points, she faces off with mandolin-player, Sean Winter, and bassist, Paul Mancuso, seeming to be dueling, as they feed off of each other. All the while, drummer, Dom Whelan, is driving that furious tempo. Combined with Finny’s vocal stylings, everything really comes together, which is undoubtedly why The Mahones have been playing in front of increasing crowds every year, receiving several accolades and positive attention from critics. As the show winds down, I can’t say that either my friend, or the people I met outside of The Vogue, have let me down. The Mahones put on a great show. If they come to town again, I’m fairly certain that when they do, I’ll be there with ticket in hand.
Photo Gallery: http://jamsplus.smugmug.com/TonyVasquezPhotography/The-Mahones-at-The-Vogue/
While young, The Districts play as tight as a band that has had numerous years to hone their skill at playing with one another. Their drummer is right on point, changing tempos, rhythms, and time throughout their set. The bass is steady, and both of the guitarists show impressive skill. My only complaint, at first, is that it’s hard to hear the vocals in the mix, but after moving from the barricade in front of the stage to the balcony, I realize that the main problem is that we had been standing behind and below the overhanging PA speakers. In the balcony, the vocals come through loud and clear, and I think that they really shine on tracks like “Long Distance,” and “Telephone.” Again, the set isn’t incredibly long, but the energy is incredible. It’s all another bit of buildup to the headliner, Dr. Dog, which as the increasing crowd would suggest, is expected to put on a stellar show.
It’s only the beginning to a great set. This is something that has assuredly helped their fan-base to grow from the time that the band came together back in the late 90’s. The lineup has changed throughout the years, but being assured of receiving an energetic set of layered sound has not. It has to be expected at this point.
From the first song, all of the musicians are beautifully in synch, and combined with the incredible light show, that seems reminiscent, if toned down, of the Flaming Lips, it’s quite the spectacle. The visual stimulation only supports the music. With lead vocals switching between Toby Leaman and Scott (McMicken) all night long, whose styles differ but seem equally at home, the music soars in the cozy confines of the Vogue. Combined with the harmonized backing vocals of the other band members (Frank McElroy, Zach Miller, Eric Slick, and Dimitri Manos), there is a richness and depth to the overall sound that fits nicely alongside the thick instrumentation, which includes keyboards, synthesizers, drums, bass, lead and rhythm guitars. Frank McElroy’s antics, while wearing his white-rimmed sunglasses and playing guitar, only add to the craziness of the wild, prismatic jams as Dr. Dog let themselves give in to the grooves throughout their set.
Perhaps my favorite songs to see performed this evening are “The Beach” and “The Truth,” and “Broken Heart.” I think that during their performance of “The Truth,” the light show really kicked into overdrive and all around fans could be heard singing along. The band has to feed off of that and the lengthy jams they provide seem to be proof. Honestly, though, every song delivered this evening is amazing. I’d never seen them before, only listening to their albums at home, or while driving in my car, but after the excellent show they put on at the Vogue, I would love to see them again. I would suggest the same to anyone else, even if they’d never heard a single track of theirs before. “Go, and listen,” I’d tell them, “and by the end of the evening, you’ll be leaving the venue with an album, or two, or if you’re wallet’s deep enough, maybe the whole discography.” You’ll want to hear them again, though. That, I guarantee.
