Concert review - The Drowning Men and more

• by Melissa Bobbitt
• Sep 4, 2012

The Drowning Men perform at the Satellite in Silver Lake on August 29th. Photos by Raphael Patricio.

A stellar trio of bands lit up the Satellite on August 29, each bringing their own memorable brand of rock to the stage. The Drowning Men were like the soundtrack to seafaring adventures; Cheap Girls brought the power-pop flavor from Michigan; and folk duo Baywood spun some entertaining yarns.

Suspenders, caps and plaid a plenty ambled through the Satellite the night of the gig - mostly donned by the musicians themselves. Each group had a throwback quality that suited each well. Baywood were reminiscent of boxcar troubadours that relied heavily on bromance and bewilderment at the modern age.

(Singer/guitarist Joe Ginsberg - the very look of him a Colin Meloy disciple - cracked jokes about the antiquity of MySpace and LiveJournal.) But the twosome's music was fresh and bubbly, especially the stompin' "I Can Breathe Again."

Baywood celebrate their bromance.

Following them were Cheap Girls, who unleashed a well-preserved helping of Lemonhead-y goodness. Polished and assured, vocalist/bassist Ian Graham; his brother, drummer Ben Graham; and guitarist Adam Aymor charged through a cheery set. They let the tunes do most of the talking, confectionery earworms they were.

Ian Graham of Cheap Girls keeps the dream of the '90s alive with his band's bubbly pop-rock.

Oceanside's the Drowning Men capped off the jovial eve, battling some amp issues but retaliating with front man Nato Bardeen's sailor-inspired jigs. Also, there was a theremin. Its spooky emissions summoned the ghosts of shipwrecks and sullied relationships, as Gabe Messer plunked away at a rusty piano. Twas an excellent showcase of material off their new release, All of the Unknown (Borstal Beat), a collection of sounds much too large to be contained by the cozy Satellite.