When Saint Vitus Bar comes to mind I think heavy metal, beards, tattoos, a dim room hosting a scent consisting of a combination of perfume/cologne, body odor and marijuana. A place a bit too tough for a guy like me, yet has not only welcomed, but also showed me an amazing experience time after time.
This particular evening and article will be focusing on a trio that goes by the name of Tidal Arms,a band ahead of their time. A band that has worked hard from the ground up and has paid their dues. Most importantly, an extremely talented band that seems to be far underrated and deserves some serious attention. Although they are described as “experimental, psychedelic rock,” I don’t think that depiction does them justice. They are a band the puts immense attention to detail into their tone and musicianship yet one of the few bands thats takes a step back to listen to their work as a larger picture as opposed to individual musicians fighting for a spotlight.
As I approach the door to the main room of Saint Vitus Bar I hear and feel a low pulsing rumble. With each step it increases in intensity and soon enough my ears adjust and put chords to the pulsing rumble informing that Tidal Arms opened their set with “Hair and Teeth” the single off their first album entitled: The Sun Exploding. A perfect soundtrack to set the mood for (spoiler alert) a perfect set.
As I slither my way to the front of the stage, my first visual is Tom’s (vocalist/guitarist and Spaceman Sound co-owner/producer) long, hair covered face pressed up to his dual microphone (one for clean vocals, one as kind of a filtered transistor radio sounding effect). The sound revealed was that of a sickly, secretive whisper that slowly incorporated pitch building up until the whole band came in and really set the grove.
At this point the audience was completely captivated. Behind the drum kit sat a tall, lanky gentleman covered in tattoos (Fran formerly of From Autumn to Ashes). By mid song he was nearly loosing his cap due to the bashing of drums, all while keeping complete control. At one point, his sticks seemed to be moving faster that they eye could even focus on.
To stage left stood Patrick (bassist formerly of Kiss Kiss) who was aggressively and almost agitatedly slamming his strings providing the low end to the trio in direct unison with the majority of the kick drum patterns. This may seem like any ordinary bassists’ job and a fairly simple task, but the way Tidal Arms utilizes dynamics and multiple ritardandos makes Patrick’s work quite admirable. The trio moves in and out of these motions while remaining locked in with each other with quite ease.
From time to time, I would take notice to the crowd’s response which consisted of smiles and heads moving to the beat. Speaking of head bobbing, another technique that was striking was Tidal Arm’s ability to remain in 4/4 (not the whole time, but a good portion of the time) so listeners could nod to the beat, but adjusting phrasings to go over bar lines giving the illusion of altering time signatures which is a great combination of keeping the music digestible yet intricate.
The last area I’d like to touch on is their tone. Back lining the band stood two “Sunn” cabinets powered by a “Hiwatt” head (gtr) and a green refrigerator style “Electric” cab powered by an “Ampeg SVT classic” (bass) not to mention a handful of (what looked to be) vintage and custom pedals bordering the trim of the stage. I must say, I personally hate pedals and can’t stand to watch musicians attempt to perform accurately while chained to a pedal board that they tap dance around causing no distinct change, but the use of pedals in this instance is minimal yet tasteful and actually makes a difference sonically.
Boy, time flies when you’re having fun. Before I knew it, Tidal Arms announced their last song “Goodski’s Ladder” which is one of my personal favorite tracks off their most recent self-titled record. Feedback filled the room until Fran drove the boys head first into the tune. To avoid spoiling this track we have numerous photos along with an exclusive video of “Goodski’s Ladder” that you can feast your eyes on and develop your own opinion!
Thanks for checking in with SwitchBitch Noise and be sure read our interview HERE with guitarist/vocalist Tom, follow Tidal Arms via social media and keep an eye out for when they play a show near you!
