Surprisingly, this was my first Coconut Coolouts experience. The immediate impression was not so great - there was a moment within the first ten minutes of the set that I legitimately asked myself, “Do I hate this?” As the band ripped through their 60s throwback/party punk set, colorful balloons bouncing everywhere, the answer became a definite “No.” What the songs lacked in innovation they more than made up with in exuberance, but something wasn’t right. The singer asked the crowd again and again if they were ready to party; they were. But there was very little partying going on, no matter how much the band tried to squeeze some out. If Coconut Coolouts played the best set of their lives last night it would still have been a minor failure, through no fault of their own. As a band, they simply didn’t belong in that club, on that stage. They should have been playing on a beach somewhere in front of a wood-paneled station wagon full of pizza, never in the dank pit that is El Corazón.

Don’t get me wrong, that dank pit is an appropriate setting for lots of bands, like Akimbo. Any band who asks the audience, “What do you guys think about the new 4th Edition of D&D?” needs to be playing in the dankest hole they can find, otherwise they’re being hypocrites. Akimbo unfortunately offered no new songs from their upcoming record Jersey Shores, but smashed through their older tunes with the same raw power they bequeath every crowd that comes their way. This time the crowd at El Corazón was wild for them, shouting particularly stupid shit between songs. Dudes in Pantera shirts were havin’ a good time. Here’s a video of “Dungeon Bastard” from Navigating the Bronze:

This was the fifth or sixth time I’ve seen Big Business, and up until now I hadn’t quite been sold on them. From the few listens I’d given their newest record Here Comes the Waterworks it was evident the band was moving in a good direction, but it was the news that they had finally acquired a full time guitarist that made me excited to see them live again. The difference is enormous. No matter how many bass amps they piled on stage, no matter how huge or rich Jared’s tone was, they are a flat-out more full and interesting band with a guitarist. The one they got, Toshi Kasai, seems to be a perfect fit for them - his riffs intricate and compelling while never taking center stage over the driving bass. They sounded huge, as not demonstrated by the microphone in my digital camera. Here is “Start Your Digging:”

The most impressive thing about Big Business’ set was how they took risks and pushed each other as musicians. Most bands know exactly what they are going to play from start to finish; they don’t leave opportunities to fall out of a comfort zone. Big Business’ slow, improvised starts and feedback riffing transitions made it clear they were often playing outside of rehearsed arrangements, testing each other’s reactions. This is no news flash, but it deserves to be repeated: Coady Willis is a hell of a drummer. His parts are often so complicated he makes small mistakes, but it never matters because he is obviously pushing himself to the limit of his talents. Innovation is much more interesting than precision, and if they can’t go perfectly hand in hand (Coady is pretty damn close) I’ll take the musician who’s pushing himself any day of the week.

The set ended with Jared ditching his bass, screaming about how he can’t walk down the street because there’s “too many creeps” (his car had recently been vandalized outside of his house). He spent several minutes wandering through and falling on top of the crowd while yelling this statement. Towards the end some kid up front got a hold of his bass and held it up in the air, strumming it defiantly until Jared plopped down on top of him like a rock and roll walrus and snatched it back. He gave a mighty exhale as he walked off stage.