The Pack A.D. with Fury Things at Turf Club 3/05/14
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03/07/14 Pontiac, MI Pike Room
03/08/14 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern 03/12/14 SXSW – Friends 03/14/14 SXSW – Maggie Mae’s 03/17/14 London, ON APK Live 03/19/14 Waterloo, ON Starlight Social Club 03/20/14 Hamilton, ON The Casbah 03/21/14 St Catharines, ON Detour Music Hall 03/22/14 Kingston, ON The Grad Club 03/25/14 Ottawa, ON Zaphod Beeblebrox 03/26/14 Montreal, QC Casa De Popolo 03/27/14 Quebec City, QC Le Cercle 03/28/14 Fredericton, NB The Capital Complex 03/29/14 Halifax, NS The Seahorse Tavern 03/30/14 Moncton, NB Tide + Boar Gastropub 04/01/14 Allston, MA Great Scott 04/02/14 New York, NY Mercury Lounge 04/04/14 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie 04/05/14 Washington, DC DC9 04/06/14 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop 04/08/14 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway Nightclub 04/09/14 Omaha, NE Slowdown 04/10/14 Lincoln, NE Vega 04/11/14 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
NPR Music recently handpicked The Pack A.D.’s “Animal” for their Top 100 SXSW festival preview. Stream and download “Animal” at npr.org.
 Speaking of SXSW, Join The Pack A.D. at the Nettwerk’s SXSW show at Friends on March 12. Details on news.weheartmusic.com. The duo is also listed to appear at The Music BC SXSW Showcase on March 14 at Maggie Mae’s. Read More
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“It was almost warm today,” joked Fury Things bassist Devon midway through their fuzz-laden set. “You can keep your jacket open just a little.” The band, made up of vocalist and guitarist Kyle Werstein, bassist Devon Torrey and drummer Andrew Bryant, have a noisy melodic sound reminiscent of Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr (the band takes its name from the Dinosaur Jr. song “Little Fury Things”). In a music scene awash in banjos and synthesizers, Fury Things are a breath of fresh air.
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Becky Black
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The Pack A.D.’s Maya Miller wasted no time blasting the throng of fans that had gathered around the stage with some snare and kick drum. Her and lead singer and guitarist Becky Black stepped on stage and immediately let loose a snarling version of “The Water,” from the band’s newest album Do Not Engage. Black is a master guitar shredder, but it’s her impressive vocals, skillfully weaving in and around the haze of heavy riffs and thrashing percussion, which truly give the songs legs. Songs like the psychedelic groove of “Animals” and blues-y throttle of “Battering Rams” saw Miller gleefully hammering out intense fills and rocking back up harmonies while Black’s howl rose and fell.
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Maya Miller
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Miller was an enthusiastic presence on stage, chatting up the audience between songs and commenting that the band had just left -50 wind chills in Canada. She then made the audience honorary Canadians, ‘cause Minnesotans totally get it. Treacherous cold weather? Been there.
But the chilly conditions beyond the Turf’s doors was certainly not bringing anyone down. Jawbreakers like “Lights” and “Positronic,” both from the band’s acclaimed 2011 Unpersons record, continued to rouse the sweaty, adoring crowd. Following the fuzzy throb of “Creepin’ Jenny” was an awesome cover of The Cramps’ “I Was a Teenage Werewolf,” the perfect choice for an evening already bursting with dirty guitar licks and swaggering rhythms. To wrap up the set, Black launched into the menacing rocker called “Sirens,” a tune that begins with a needling guitar drone and Miller’s simple pounding rhythm before exploding into a sweet, violent mess of sound.
Another great cover would appear in the band’s three song encore (the Split Endz power-pop hit “I Got You”) but what really cemented my affection for the Pack A.D. was the moving performance Do Not Engage’s quiet closer called “Needles.” Black stood by herself, gently strumming her guitar and murmured the lyrics, “Why would I live life/worried, worried all the time/Shouldn’t be a surprise/it’s easy, easy to be terrified.”
The Pack A.D. will cover most of Canada and the US in the next few weeks before hitting Europe in May. Don’t miss out this dynamic and energetic band!
The Pack A.D. at the Turf Club, St Paul (03/05/14) |