The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel takes its title quite seriously. Upon entering, one is swamped in darkness and deep colored lighting. All around are pictures of rock legends such as Jimi Hendrix and the Ramones, while screamo-rock music blasts from a jukebox in the corner. There are no chairs — just a bare dance floor, a bar and a small stage lit up with purple spotlights. The crowd was standing around with drinks in hand, waiting for New Orleans-based band, the Generationals, to take the stage.
At 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, the band took the stage, looking more like everyday mall rats than potential rock stars. Lead singers Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, dressed in a plaid shirts and red sweater, respectively, humbly step into the spotlight while drummer Tess Brunet took a swig of beer and settled into her kit. Keyboardist Katie Clark stood quietly in her frothy black tutu.
After a quick “Hello,” the Generationals launched into their set, bobbing their heads and filling the room with retro pop-rock. Their first song was “Exterior Street Day,” a light, riff-rock melody matched by lead singer Grant Widmer’s smooth voice.
Next was the stellar, summery song, “Nobody Could Change Your Mind.” Then guitarists Grant and Ted switched places, with Ted singing vocals.
The next song, “When They Fight, They Fight,” probably made for best song of the performance, starting off sounding like MGMT, then crossing into a Temptations-era vibe, complete with clapping and echoing vocals.
Widmer’s voice was fantastically high: think of the Gibb brothers of the Bee Gees. It completed the retro vibe of the song. “When they fight, they fight. And when they come home at night they say, I love you, baby,” Widmer sang in his androgynous soprano.
A few more songs by Widmer followed, and as the band’s set came to an end, Widmer introduced the next performer, Pepi Ginsberg.
Ginsberg and her backing band took the stage with the singer dressed in oversized plaid, leather leggings and saddle Oxfords.
“Hi, I’m Pepi Ginsberg,” she said quietly into the mic, hidden mostly behind her electric guitar and fluffy brown hair. With that, the band started jamming, each member of so into his or her own performance that you did not know who to look at. But then Pepi started singing, and everyone focused on the tiny chanteusse, whose voice was a jazzy, folksy mix and seemed to consume her tiny frame.
Whenever she was not singing, Pepi was hopping around on stage, rocking out with her guitar and dancing with her bassist. Her songs were serious, but the music was heavy on riffs and reminiscent of summery days, such as during “Mercury Tide,” which Pepi quietly said was about going down to the sea. One of the cheerier songs was “East is East,” a song with reggae overtones that had drummer Matt Scarano thrashing wildly like a brazen Keith Moon.
After their set, Pepi shyly brushed her hair over her eye and said a quiet “Thank you,” and left the stage while the audience applauded.
As soon as Ginsberg was off, Delaware natives The Spinto Band took the stage.
Guitarist Thomas Hughes, dressed in a long sleeved white polo shirt tucked into khaki pants, grabbed the mic, took a swig of his Pabst Blue Ribbon, and said, “Hello, we’re the Spinto Band!” The packed crowd cheered as they kicked off their performance with pop-rock number “Pumpkins and Paisley,” with all three guitarists singing vocals. As the song progressed, all members of the band started dancing, headbanging and acting like robots, while the crowd sang and danced along. Next came the raucous “Summer Grof” sung by guitarist Nick Krill.
The way Spinto Band interacted with the crowd was fantastic to watch. The six-piece band completely filled the stage and remained dancing and jumping through each song, making for a dynamic performance. Tiny guitarist Thomas was reminiscent of a small Chris Martin, shaking and dancing all over. The constant dancing was exciting, prompting the audience to dance and headbang along with them.
As the night came to an end, the band played one of their earlier songs, the heartbroken love ballad, “Oh Mandy,” with guitarist Krill crooning. But to end things on the rowdy note they started with, the Spinto Band finished the set with “Trust vs. Mistrust,” with all the members singing and dancing to the track pop-rock number.
In indie rock fashion, this concert was loud, exciting and full of poetic lyrics that lingered long after the concert ended. The Generationals, Pepi Ginsberg and the Spinto Band marked some of indie’s finest musicians and are sure to be generating a new group of fans with this fun-loving tour.
You can reach this staff writer at ydesta@theeagleonline.com.
