On the List

Ok, really?  As if the Belle Brigade’s self-titled debut didn’t blow me away enough (subsequently becoming the soundtrack for my morning bike-ride to work for most of the spring and summer), their energetic, passionate, and airtight live performance only solidified my assertion that these guys aren’t just a flash in the [1970s] folk-rock pan. I have a feeling they won’t be the opening band on national tours for much longer.

Solid song composition and arrangement is nothing new to songer/songwriter/bad-ass drummer Barbara Gruska (who’s toured with the likes of Jenny Lewis and Bird and the Bee) and her kid brother Ethan (who apparently can also sing, play guitar, and keys at the same time). With legendary composer John Williams as Grandpa and songwriter/composer Jay Gruska as their Dad, it doesn’t seem likely that musical talent has skipped a generation. Though, I’m actually happy that I didn’t know their lineage for my first few months loving the album - as soon as someone says John William this is all I can hear. Belle Brigade needs credit of their own, and I’m sure that after another successful album or two reviews harping on Dad and Grandpa will be long-gone. 

But, back to the show:

Opening their set with “Lucky Guy”, (a fun, upbeat, positive response to what must have been an incredibly sobering experience Ethan’s mother had while giving birth) and ending with their most critically acclaimed track “Losers” (an anthem rejecting the societal contraints that determine what makes a person cool), the Belle Brigade rocked out and got the audience moving right along with them. Songs like “Belt of Orion” (in which Ethan denounces the LA rat-race referenced in “Losers”) and “Where Not To Look For Freedom” (a traveling/touring song driven by Barbara’s aforementioned bad-ass drumming skills) carried the show right along, and from the sounds of the audience the Belle Brigade walked away with quite a few new fans.