The Vault Opens

The Kickovers, a group of Boston natives with a couple of members carrying their famous former bands on their shoulders, rocked the Rat Wednesday. The Kickovers, composed of ex-Mighty Mighty Bosstones guitarist Nate Albert and ex-Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh, displayed their brand of punk/pop/indie music.

The Kickovers opened with a bang. Without any small talk, they got right to business with jamming power chords and Albert’s scratchy, punkish voice. The quarter-filled Rat audience got right up to the stage to try to catch a glimpse of Welsh. After a few more of these punk pop songs, the Kickovers tried their hand at some mellower emo tracks. “Diamonds and Ashes” was catchy enough to be a radio single. Other highlights of the one and a half-hour set were “Black and Blue” and their best known song, “Crash and Burn.”

The Kickovers did not bring in too many elements from their past associations. They lacked the free spirited ska of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and there were no real traces of Weezer in the band either. The songs were not nearly as catchy as Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” or “The Good Life.” Instead, the Kickovers seemed repetitive with not too much stylistic versatility. After opening with energy and enthusiasm, the sound of the band seemed to drag on and at one point, it seemed like all the songs were the same. Carrying the same beat and guitar riffs, a little variation would have been nice from a band with such potential.

The lyrics did not show any depth for the Kickovers. Lead singer Albert, who recently took time after his Bosstones departure to get a degree from Brown University, sang lyrics that were at times immature and lacked continuity. In one song, Albert’s chorus was “I want to make out with your mom,” which didn’t really showcase anything from a veteran in the rock business. For the most part, the Kickovers sang about girls and the rigors of life. Albert’s voice did not show much range, as choruses and refrains flowed together. The two-guitar attack added some depth of sound but was not used to any special degree for a pop-punk band. The Kickovers also tried their hand at some songs they had never played, but the audience did not seem too responsive.

Where the Kickovers lacked, the opening band, The Damn Personals, compensated. All clad in black shirts, the Damn Personals had a retro-rock/indie sound comparable to the likes of The Strokes. With the release of a new album entitled Standing Still in the USA, the Damn Personals have been touring heavily with many bands, including Jimmy Eat World. In about an hour long set, the Damn Personals played a back-to-basics rock set that was engrossing and unique.

With harder moments and softer ballads, the band was passionate about their performance. The lead guitarist was jumping around all over the place and at one point, on top of the speakers. Lead singer Anthony Rossomando displayed a fitting voice for the band. Ranging from slower melodic moments to hard-driving choruses, Rossomando never missed a beat and was both original and exciting. The Damn Personals showed a lot of promise in both songwriting and stage presence that could bring them much success.

The Kickovers seemed to have a lot of potential with their broad musical influences. Perhaps in the future they will perform with a little more variety and improve their composition. Until then, they should look a little more closely at the Damn Personals, who stole the show.

The next show in the Vault series is karaoke with host Austin Powers, this Wednesday night.