As if you weren’t going to be spending enough money on tickets for shows this fall, Quasi is now coming to Philadelphia. These alumni of all things indie will bless us with their presence on Friday, October 3rd at the Khyber. Their forth album, The Sword of God, came out in September, along with Early Recordings, a re-issue of their first recordings. The duo includes drummer Janet Weiss(of Sleater-Kinney fame) and singer/guitarist/ roxichordist Sam Coomes (ex-Donner Party, Heatmiser). Having opened for and backed Elliott Smith during his XO tour, Quasi has received substantial press.
The Sword of God is saturated with Coomes’ innate ability for writing humorous lyrics about the depressing and everyday world. Lines like “You got a career: you chose boredom over fear, and you got the human race, and you got Jesus, just in case,” are typical Coomes faire. Outstanding song writing, along with Weiss’ clean, complex beats have put their albums on many a critic’s “best of” lists.
Amazing live, the band’s catchy melodies create head bopping throughout their audience. Coomes’ technique of playing the roxichord (a keyboard/organ type instrument) may catch the Quasi virgins in the audience off guard. Yes, it appears that he mounts it… need I go on? It is extremely amusing to watch. Not a lot of interaction between the crowd and band goes on during their shows, but none is needed. Janet’s drumming is entrancing. She makes her syncopated beats seem effortless. The crowd will no doubt consist of the Sleater-Kinney fans who go to see Janet, and avid music magazine readers who will to see the group with the new critically acclaimed album. Whoever decides to attend will witness one of the most talented groups of the moment playing perfectly executed indie rock songs. After all, the last song on the new album is “Rock & Roll Can Never Die,” the theme of every Quasi performance.
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