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For all
of us who don't get out much in the East Bay ("oh, that's where
BART goes!"), it's a good thing that East Bay bands make the trek
to The City once in a while. I first heard indie rock band, Ramona the
Pest, playing at the Paradise. The quintet had just launched into "Apathy
Lullabye," a gorgeous brooding song that kept lapsing back into
the soothing strains, "So much to do, I think I'll go to sleep
instead..." Like moths to a flame, the audience was inexorably
drawn to the stage - an ever deepening circle of appreciation tapping
along to the ebb and flow of
singer Valerie Esway's irresistible cadences. Rocking slowly back and
forth on the balls of her feet, Esway closed her eyes and belted out
the words to RTP's trippy melodies. Haunting, melodic, and frequently
mesmerizing, RTP invites comparisons to Cowboy Junkies, Violent Femmes,
PJ Harvey, and occasionally Husker Du.
Ramona the Pest's live show weaves an intoxicating spell alternately
careening between quiet acoustic guitar strumming and blurring distortion
from violin and electric guitar. Noise pop-nuggets like "Candy"
and "Frostbite Lullabye #3" simmer along and then suddenly
erupt into a wall of sound. Esway's buoyant voice easily floats above
sumptuous passage after sumptuous passage: twangy electric guitar (Lucio
Menegon), shivering strings (Jeff Hobbs) and palpitating bass lines
(Alex de Soria) create a multi-layered sound that swells and crashes
like a coked-out heart beat.
When not sawing away on violin, Hobbs plays a tarnished cornet: coaxing
long dolorous tones out of the instrument to supplement slow ballads
like "Beeline." The addition of bassist de Soria and drummer
Jon Curtis (both of the East Bay haze band Peachfish) reflects a shift
towards a harder, edgier live sound that takes RTP's well-produced debut
album, Cans of Worms, to the next level.
Cans of Worms is a delightful treasure trove of hum-a-long hooks and
beguiling melodies which finds its consistency and cohesion in Esway's
well-calibrated song craft. Each song drifts effortlessly along jangly
guitar licks and fractured inner mindscapes as Esway tempers her vitriolic
wit and vivid imagery with strong, clear vocals. The voodoo drenched
blues ballad, "I Put A Spell On You," is a stunning departure
from the rest of the material demonstrating the breadth of Esway's range.
Throughout
the album, twin currents of insecurity and powerlessness lend an overwhelmingly
apocalyptic feel to the music, but the beautiful orchestrations and
uptempo
tunes keep the album from getting too gloomy. The final track, "Martyr
Girl," contains what may ultimately be Esway's salvation and mission
statement: "If you don't use that voice/You just might lose that
voice..."
The album's acoustic gems, like "Uninvited Guests" and "Vultures"
(with its bizarre southwestern imagery and flavor), indicate that Ramona
the Pest is equally at ease unplugged. Hybrid permutations of the band
perform solo/duet/trio stripped-down versions of Esway's acerbic compositions
in coffee houses and bookstores. A caf‚ show at Java Beach earlier
this year paired Esway with Menegon and album drummer Tobias Hawkins
III (ex CountingCrow) on doumbek. Without amplification (or a microphone),
each song seemed fragile and exposed. Ultitimately, Esway's powerful
singing and conviction evoke inner strength instead of a vulnerability
that her lyrics often suggest. Relaxed, without barriers between her
and her audience, Esway's smoldering delivery took on a raw intimacy
hovering between suppressed angst and acoustic folk frailty.
Don't expect to hear the same tired set list from one show to the next.
Although Cans of Worms is RTP's first CD, Esway has recorded four full-length
albums of her songs (and there is another in progress.) With the focus
firmly on the future, Ramona the Pest performances tend to explore new
material. At a recent Stork Club show, RTP played for almost 50 minutes,
but only featured one song off Cans of Worms. By mixing up the set's
material and texture (switching from a sonic deluge to solo acoustic
guitar) the performances remain fresh, interesting, and exciting to
anticipate.
Song clips,
lyrics, tour dates, etc. can be found at the band's web site: www.kingtone.com.
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