First off, this is my second outing to see The Intoxicators! at the Jetsetter. The first was cut short so we only managed to catch the first set-and-a-half; the second, I rushed down to West Palm straight from my own band's rehearsal, so I missed the first set, but did catch the last two. So, in the interest of fairness, this is more-or-less a combined show report. Moreover, it's a heads-up - and my way of saying that this is band you really need to see should you make it down to the Sunshine State...
A bit about the venue:
Enter: The Jetsetter Lounge. Easily one of the coolest venues in Florida, this joint has vibe to spare. The walls are adorned with Shag paintings, surrounded by retro-60's-mod furniture. The outside is a lush tropical garden flanked by Easter Island styled statues. And the waitresses - good Lord, the gorgeous waitresses - could have stepped out of any episode of The Avengers, or any Connery-era Bond flick. Not to be understated, this places oozes cool, even if it is kitschy.
Now, there is no song-by-song review here, as I only just got my first Intoxicators! cd after the show Saturday night (or was it early Sunday morning?), the songs are still a bit unfamiliar, but the original material that stood out was "Gary 2," (I love the lead riff on that tune), "The Great Snatch...," (more swing than surf, but catchy as hell), and "Human Canonball," and an impressive arsenal of cover material too abundant to list here.
There's alot to be said for the guitar-work of Geroge Dyal and Gary Evans. First off, there isn't an outboard reverb unit between the two, and honestly, its absence isn't missed, as the onboard springs in the amps (a vintage Ampeg Gemini and a Hot Rod Deluxe, respectively, each with a touch of slap echo in moderation) pulled the load just fine. Second point: the contrast of the two approaches to playing gives this band its distinct sound. Gary seems more the adept shredder, while George's approach is very raw, countrified, twangy and Link-ish - and the combination of the two delivers something of a variety of sonic asskickings from hillbilly rave-ups to swing to straight-up surf and frat rock. The accompanying rhythm section (Brian Crum, aka Fez, on skins and Adam Watson on bass) is rock-solid and ballbreaking - and the total package just drives the sound home.
The first outing, as I hear, went on till the wee hours of the morning, and the crowd response was phenomenal. While the club was somewhat less populated this go-round, the crowd response was great. Hopefully, it won't be long until The Intoxicators grace The Jetsetter again.
That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
-Butch
