Bumbershoot Review: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of The Damnwells
If you missed the Damnwells at Bumbershoot last weekend, don’t worry. You’ll soon here a lot more about this little band.
In 2003, they recorded their first album, Bastards of the Beat, in a Manhattan storage unit. Their mix of indie pop, crunchy rock guitars, twangy hooks and psychedelic flourishes proved irresistible to many, including the folks at Epic, who signed the fledgling band then quickly dropped them, as fickle major labels are wont to do.
Luckily, the video camera was rolling the whole time, and what might have been just another hard luck rock story was recouped into Golden Days, a documentary about the Damnwells’ rise, fall and redemption that proved charming and inspirational enough to take top honors at the 2007 Phoenix Film Festival.
If you missed the Damnwells at Bumbershoot last weekend, don’t worry. You’ll soon here a lot more about this little band.
In 2003, they recorded their first album, Bastards of the Beat, in a Manhattan storage unit. Their mix of indie pop, crunchy rock guitars, twangy hooks and psychedelic flourishes proved irresistible to many, including the folks at Epic, who signed the fledgling band then quickly dropped them, as fickle major labels are wont to do.
Luckily, the video camera was rolling the whole time, and what might have been just another hard luck rock story was recouped into Golden Days, a documentary about the Damnwells’ rise, fall and redemption that proved charming and inspirational enough to take top honors at the 2007 Phoenix Film Festival.
In their new roles as loveable Wilco-like indie underdogs, the band seems to be doing what they’ve always done: working their asses off.
Alex Dezen’s powerfully sweet and weary voice (think Ryan Adams plus Chilton via Westerberg) soared over the grass on Monday, as the band provided a tight and tuneful foundation that sounded mid-90’s radio friendly without being radio stupid. They looked and sounded like they were relaxed, confident, and having a great time.
Even amidst the multitude of acts that descended on the Seattle Center this past Labor Day weekend, the Damnwells stuck out as the kind of band that doesn’t come around much anymore. "Golden Days", the standout track from their new record Air Stereo, could have been a hit single for the Gin Blossoms, Spacehog, or Marcy Playground, were it not for the easy, accomplished musicianship of these tour veterans, or the fact that those bands never would have written anything this good.
Christian Klepac’s girlfriend took a bunch of cool Bumbershoot photos. Check them out on Nada’s Myspace blog.