CoCoComas & The Submarine Races @ Hideout 1/31/2008
First month of the new year down, and I’ve only been to 2 shows. (Can we say slowwww) While the winter months with its crazy random Chicago snow storms divert most touring bands away, locals remain undaunted. It’s easy and its a travesty to some extent to say “oh those guys are local I can catch them anytime but X band is intown tonight”. I am afraid to say I have done that too many times with these bands and I would like to apologize. CoCoComas and The Submarine Races I promise to try catch more of your shows in the future!
You would think I would have learned this lesson long ago. Rewind about 6 years now to one of the first shows we went to in Chicago, at the venue I have a love/hate with the Abbey Pub. The first band on the stage was Happy Supply a duo of Ian and Tara. Though by today, I have forgotten what band it was we were seeing headline, I haven’t forgot about them. I’ve become obsessed, finding every 7inch and the one cd that they released, and keeping an eye on what other bands either one of them may be in. I listened to the Pony’s records Ian was on, and while they were good I didn’t connect with them the same way. The Submarine races are a closer return, with more poppy hooks, this time driven by some really tight guitar. The 3 piece is rounded out with Paul John Higgins on drums and Steve Denekas on bass with a garage rock sound that leans toward pop. I remember at one point during the show thinking “I just heard 5 songs in the span of less then 12 minutes”. It’s rock boiled down to sugary melody line and a catchy guitar hooks. The drumming was solid and simple, not simple in technique but in span, only using enough to create a song you could pogo to. I think the snow kept everybody but the true fans at home. The respectable sized crowd hung on every last note and hook.
CoCoComas were even more energetic. The band, which originally consisted of the husband and wife duo of Bill (drums) and Lisa (guitar) Roe, has recently expanded to include Mike Fitzpatrick (farfisa, bass). All three sing in some capacity, either lead or backing up, and this is really the key of this band. The energy of the songs is high but the times that were the best was when they all were singing as well. The fun just leaped off the stage to which the crowd lapped up in pogo’s and smiles. The guitar is thin and frantic sounding which compliments the pounding warmth of the farfisa perfectly. I am not really sure what the songs were about, but they were fast and bouncy and pure fun. An upbeat way to end the dark downbeat month of January.
see a few pictures of the show here