The Silent Comedy entertained many of their hometown fans on 91x's Local Break Stage during the final night of San Diego's annual Music Fest. An intrinsic part of the larger San Diego Music Thing, the Music Fest offers aspiring bands the opportunity to perform in showcases throughout the city for two nights at the conclusion of each day's set of Music Thing panels.
The Silent Comedy at the 91x Local Break Stage in San Diego on September 14, 2013.
“We ain’t going to church tonight!” The crowd roars its
enthusiasm as the Silent Comedy’s Jeremiah Zimmerman grins and repeats the
promise. Justin Buchanan briefly abandons his banjo to get the audience
clapping along as Zimmerman brings a series of rich organ chords to life on his
keyboard and Chad Lee’s drumming begins to shake the stage. The song borders on
gospel until Zimmerman’s brother Joshua leaps from the stage with bass in hand,
reminding the San Diego audience of his band’s rock ‘n roll roots.
This performance of the Silent Comedy’s “The Well” came at
the end of a 90 minute set sprinkled with a careful selection of tracks taken
from the band’s seven years together. The Americana roots rock band returned to
their native San Diego on September 14 to participate in the San Diego Music
Thing’s annual Music Fest, a two-night event dedicated to showcasing local and
national talent on the rise in a handful of venues throughout the city. For
their part, the Silent Comedy took over the 91x Local Break Stage in North Park
after performances by fellow San Diego bands Dead Feather Moon and Unwritten
Law. Considering the Silent Comedy’s reputation for getting loud and rowdy
during shows, the outdoor venue served as a fitting match for a band known to
rile up its fan base.
Despite the raucous descriptions often associated with them,
the Silent Comedy were on their best behavior for the Music Fest. The band
packed an early punch with gritty fan favorites “Poison,” “Blood On the Rails”
and the new “God Neon” from their recent summer EP release of Friends Divide, complete with frenzied
jumping and head shaking by Joshua and Buchanan. As the show continued, the
onstage energy dimmed noticeably as the quartet turned their attention to the
folksy numbers in their growing catalog. As “Victory” and “Simple Thing”
streamed through the stage speakers, concertgoers bobbed their heads to match
the mellow mood onstage as noted influences from Josh Ritter to the
Decemberists shone through the Silent Comedy’s own work. Still, it isn’t a rock
‘n roll party without a few wild numbers thrown into the mix. Recognizing this,
Joshua urged the band to return to a faster pace in their final moments as the
Silent Comedy let loose and reveled in their art.
While “Moonshine” and
“Exploitation” stood out as gems from the band’s Common Faults days (the album earned a Best Pop Album award at the
2010 San Diego Music Awards and was largely responsible for rocketing the
Silent Comedy to the first tier of stardom), fresh tunes including “God Neon,”
“Light of Day” and “Simple Thing” gave fans a decent hint of what is to come on
the band’s third album, expected out next year. In total, the Silent Comedy
have released two albums and three EPs since their launch in 2006, a fair block
of work that gained increased exposure through the use of select songs in
television ads and programs. Indulging in a past marked by religious
upbringings and time spent working the Southern California bar scene, the
Silent Comedy have invented a vintage look and sound perfectly amplified by
their trademark mustaches and banjo pluck.
Returning to the stage to close the final night of the Music
Fest with an encore, the Zimmerman brothers and Buchanan began strumming
vigorously as Lee tapped a brisk beat behind them. The Music Fest may be over
for 2013, but the Silent Comedy are still on the rise.
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