Meatbodies Deliver Prime Cuts at Empty Bottle
By Casey Moffitt in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 19, 2014 4:00PM
photo credit Denee Petracek
L.A.'s Meatbodies shredded through hot guitar licks and bouncy riffs, as they put their focus on the more up-tempo tunes from their recently released self-titled debut album, while some of the more hazy and dreamy tunes were left off the set list. They blistered through tunes like "Wahoo," "Him" and "Mountain," and closed out the set with a wild version of "The Master."
Ubovich and his cohorts conjured a wild, freak show beach party with their set. Wild solos were traded with Patrick Nolan on twin Gibson SGs—OK, so Nolan's was an SG Junior. It still sounded hot. They also managed to intertwine a dueling leads and had a few moments of cool guitar harmonies.
Meatbodies put on a ferocious set, and proved they are an act.
Most impressive was Ryan Moutinho's work behind the drum kit. It's been a long time since we've seen a guy hit with such power, and combine that with spastic fills while maintaining such fine precision. It truly was a dazzling display of musicianship, and well worth the price of admission alone. His work filled the songs with an intense energy and a frantic drive.
Opening the show was Brooklyn's Hunters who themselves had a hot drummer in Gregg Giuffre. Giuffre lacked Moutinho's power, but was easily just as agile and nimble behind the kit as he pounded away on a minimal set—just a three-piece with a hi-hat and crash/ride cymbals. It's pretty incredible to watch a drummer do so much with so little.
Hunters had a nice set, too. Derek Watson and Isabel Almeida have a nice boy/girl vocal trade going on to their tunes. They've a got new wave feel, infused with dark energy. Almeida often sheds her guitar to take over fronting duties—although, overall, the band is much more effective when she keeps it strapped to her shoulder. Not only is band's sound larger and fuller, but Almeida seems to lack some confidence taking over the stage without it.
It's unfortunate for the night's closing act, OBN IIIs, that they had to follow these two acts Friday night. It's not as though the punk rockers from Austin, Texas were inept or even put on a bad show. They were just outclassed in every way by both Hunters and Meatbodies.