The all-American-looking Roman Candle had a crowd huddle near the stage before they even launched into the fast-paced “Baby’s Got It in the Genes.” Singer Tim Matheny, a visual cross between John Denver and John-Boy Walton, engaged the audience so thoroughly that no one minded when he thanked them for coming out “on a Wednesday night” (um, it’s Thursday).
Matheny won the crowd over with his North Carolina smile, then wrecked the stage during the final chords of Roman Candle’s set, tossing the mic stand around and jumping up and down like a bona fide rock star. Their tight set was made of up of mostly new songs from the upcoming Oh Tall Tree in the Ear (coming out on May 12) and a few tunes from their debut, The Wee Hours Revue.
The Deep Vibration, still deep in puberty, showcased two good musicians: Jeremy Fetzer on lead guitar and Luke Herbert on drums. Fetzer patiently strummed circles around singer and mock-guitarist Matt Campbell, who was embarrassing to watch at times.
He convulsed over his guitar, barely strumming, and he rarely sang on-key. His screeching vocals and monotonous jams made their set about as interesting as a ticking clock.
The only redeemable song, “Worried Mind,” worked because Campbell didn’t sing it. He sorta talked the lyrics, and the song sounded great within the context. But buried in the sea of unchanging chords and interminable jams, its effect was pretty much lost. —Crystal Culler
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2009.
i was at the show. TBV is the best band i am aware of at this moment in time. i could not disagree more with the critic. god bless.
Crystal Culler writes in cliches. If the TDV is stuck in puberty, then her writing style is stuck in elementary school. TDV was solid all night, Americana music without fluff, something hard to come by. Matt Campbell has charisma, let it be.
If you’ve never seen the deep vibration, don’t let this review steer you away. They are an incredible band, both as writers and musicians. Similar reviews to this have been levied against some of the better american bands I’ve known (including neil young & craZy horse,to whom the dv are often compared). Matt Campbell is an incredible singer & guitarist, and will be around making good art for a long time.
If you’ve never seen the deep vibration, don’t let this review steer you away. They are an incredible band, both as writers and musicians. Similar reviews to this have been levied against some of the better american bands I’ve known (including neil young & craZy horse,to whom the dv are often compared). Matt Campbell is an incredible singer & guitarist, and will be around making good art for a long time.
Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. Crystal Clutter, I couldn’t disagree with you more. I hope you will come out to another show and realize how great The Deep Vibration is. Remarks like “deep in puberty” are deeply stupid. Music lovers out there, do not let this review sway you.
excuse me, crystal culler. whatever your name is, you are still wrong.
It’s SKIP Matheny…. making it only more clear that you did not do your research before attending and reviewing this show.
I agree with Crystal. These guys blew! Couldn’t wait till their set was over. Guys, quit jamming on and on forever and write some songs! Nobody wants to hear a mindless jam unless their stoned or tripping! I WANT MY TIME BACK! Roman Candle was awesome though, so worth the trip out.
mark and crystal, you both were completely wrong. first off, mark, i didnt hear any jamming at the show. their longest “song” was probably less than 5 minutes. the only one they jammed on was ‘worried mind’. TDV is one of the best bands around that arent mainstream yet. its just a matter of time until they are a household name