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The stage was pretty packed with Birds and Batteries, a four piece that could just as easily be an eight piece, as it seemed like every member played two instruments (the drummer had a laptop next to him, which I'm sure did something). Their singer sounded like Bob Dylan and looked like a younger Eric Clapton, and their merch guy resembled Tom Waits. The music was usually slow and layered, synth driven indie rock with a steel guitar player. I wasn't a fan of their uptempo songs for the most part. Some were decent, but it sounded like more thought went into the slower songs.
As soon as Your Black Star started setting up, I realized that I was wrong about the merch guy of Birds and Batteries looking similar to Tom Waits. Turns out he is the singer and guitarist of the trio. I was hoping for some sad sounding Waits-esque music, but was treated to just the opposite. Your Black Star were very upbeat and energetic, and I wouldn't be surprised if they've played with Breather Resist, Young Widows or any others from that Louisville crowd (I know I took the easy way out as far as name dropping goes). They reminded me of a more melodic and spacier version of Torche, which made for a damn good set.
I like how Sharks Come Cruisin' can play with a different line up for every show and still sound good. This time, their bassist was MIA, but they had the banjo player with them. It sounded a little strange at first with the lack of low end, but my ears adjusted and they started sounding great. The banjo player added a lot of ummph to the band, as they drunkenly (except for the drummer) played through their lovely sea shanties. Speaking of the drummer, I do enjoy watching him play. Granted, he is an excellent drummer, but the thing I like most is that he doesn't seem to really be paying attention to anything; just staring off into space. He reminds me of Leela from Futurama in the episode where the brains took over. She didn't really pay attention and was out there, but she was still smarter than most.
2/3 of the band were in drunk mode, thanks to a healthy dose of whiskey being bought for them by a happy listener. Though drunk, they still managed to sound pretty tight and the stage presence was just as good, only vocalist Mark Lambert was telling more jokes. A great non-song part of their set came when Lambert called out a guy who drives an oil rig and then asked his band members the last time they were on a boat. The closest they came was the drummer swimming on an inflatable dolphin. This was a good night.