Right now there are about 400 people who could have been at Tantric’s concert Saturday night at 1st Avenue Live who should be kicking themselves for skipping out on a show that put even the Hawkeyes’ performance to shame.

Maybe it was the home game that kept attendance down, or maybe it was the economy, or maybe it was any number of other factors that kept fans from showing up. Short of a funeral, there was no good reason to miss a show that delivered more than it promised.

For one, they have a freakin’ electric violin.

The Tantric crew made the most of the crowd, running through old hits and new material. The old hits – especially “Down and Out” with its distinctive and defining violin opening – still grabbed the strongest reception, but this previously troubled group mixed past and present deftly without missing a beat. If the small crowd had any upside, it led to a performance that was up close, interactive, and energetic.

Tantric is on tour in support of its latest album, Mind Control, which has garnered modest critical and commercial success.

“It’s about the press putting thoughts into people’s heads,” said violinist Marcus Ratzenboek. “We took that idea and the content grew from there.”

“We’re really proud of this record,” he added.

With good cause. Mind Control is an evolution of earlier Tantric albums. The signature violin is still there, but electric now instead of wood. The production takes advantage of numerous effects to create what Ratzenboek calls a “curious sound that other bands aren’t doing.”

That there’s a record or a tour at all is something of a minor miracle. Tantric has its roots the late-90s group Days of the New. After that group added lead singer Hugo Ferriera, the band was renamed Tantric and scored several early hits – like “Breakdown” – before difficulties several years ago led to the departure of everyone save Ferriera.

This iteration of Tantric might also just be the most academically inclined rock group on tour right now. Ratzenboek is a former University of Louisville music professor and principle violinist for the Louisville Orchestra. Guitarist Joe Pessia graduated from The University of California, Berkley.

“I think this band has more musicianship,” said Ratzenboek of the latest and seemingly most stable version of Tantric. “It’s kind of a more scholarly approach.”

It’s hard to argue that point when their show features a prominent violin solo, an acoustic-like sit down with Ferriera at the keyboard, and a clean, clear sound that louder venues like 1^st Ave Live sometimes lose in the reverberations.

Not that many people noticed. Difficult times continue to press down attendance, and for a national band promoting a new album with tickets running only $18, the crowd was incredibly sparse. Embarrassingly so for the Cedar Valley.

Which is really too bad, since not only did Tantric blow the roof off the place, but the undercard was incredibly enjoyable for a bunch of unknowns. Hazer, who’s from Waterloo, and Atom Smash were both capable warm-up acts, but the surprise of the night was Aranda, a group out of Oklahoma City headed by brothers Dameon and Gabe Aranda.

The vocal stylings of the brothers – whose performance revealed their ability to play off one another before even considering their relation – backed by strong, almost funky rock, was a revelation. Songs like “Punish Me” and “Whyyawannabringmedown” punctuated a performance that could easily carry its own tour. How this group has so far escaped national attention is almost inexplicable.

– BLAKE

tantric-91909-003

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 17

View Clips of Tantric’s performance:

These days it’s pretty much impossible to play a video game, watch a sporting event, or catch a movie trailer without catching a bit of Saliva. Basically, if you’re a dude, you know a song or twelve by the maestros behind “Click, Click, Boom” and “Ladies and Gentlemen.”

Friday at 1^st Ave Live brought more than a bit of Saliva to Cedar Rapids. The building literally shook with the sounds of the Memphis quintet as they awarded the faithful few who showed up with a show worth twice the price of admission. And that’s before you factor in the raw but energetic opening by Lights Out Vegas, and the polished but ultimately unexciting middle performance by Smile Empty Soul.

Saliva’s on the last leg of a tour promoting its latest, Cinco Diablo, an effort rhythm guitarist Jonathan Montoya called “heavier, angrier” than any of their previous four albums.

“Josey [Scott] must’ve been angry when he wrote the lyrics,” said Montoya.

Angry or not, the set Saliva unleashed (and yeah, that’s the right word) on 1^st Ave Live was powerful, energetic, and awesomely loud without a hint of the distortion that accompanies a lot of attempts to rattle fillings.

That’s one of the first features noticed by most when they enter the relatively new 1^st Ave Live (formerly 3^rd Ave. Live prior to the floods). The space is wide open, the stage is intimately positioned, and, as far as sound goes, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

The problem was, however, that there were too many empty seats.

“Nobody’s had a good summer,” said owner Mike Trowsdale before the show. Even the band echoed the sentiments, saying that attendance had been down all over the country.

Which is really too bad, because for 20 bucks ($25 at the door), 1^st Ave Live put on a hell of a show, with an undercard heavier than most, featuring Smile Empty Soul and Lights Out Vegas. Still, despite the lower than expected turnout for a band of Saliva’s stature and all around awesomeness, it didn’t take long for the crowd to get whipped into a frenzy.

The show kicked off with Lights Out Vegas, a group with plenty of energy and yards of showmanship, if not yet the musical chops to really blow an audience out of the water. Their original songs didn’t quite have the same hook as the two other bands on the bill, but their version of Kid Cudi’s “Day n’ Night” was beyond stellar.

In stark contrast, Smile Empty Soul – a band that’s one hit away from almost, maybe, so very nearly being able to carry its own tour – was polished, practiced…and kind of dull. The arrived on stage, absolutely killed a few of their better known songs and one or two lesser ones, said one note of thanks, then hustled off the stage to sell t-shirts in the back. It was almost like that scene in That Thing You Do where the Wonders bowed, quickly unplugged their instruments, and beat it off stage, even as the crowd cheered them on.

It wasn’t until Saliva that the show took full advantage of the acoustics and deafening sound system. Their entrance to the stage literally shook the building, and didn’t stop till the end. They hit all the right favorites (“Click, Click, Boom;” “Family Values;” “Ladies and Gentlemen;” “How Could You”) and threw in a rather long jam session with some randomness (Pink Floyd?) that seemed more like a break than calculated part of the show. Between their theatrics (Montoya stage performance is particularly mezmerizing) and the powerful live reproductions of many of their best works, Saliva put on a clinic of live rock.

After this tour wraps up on Sept. 11, Saliva takes a break till picking up again in Los Angeles (“I hate LA. Everyone there has something better to do and they let you know that,” said Montoya). Shortly thereafter they’ll release their next single, “Southern Girls” (“We love all girls, not just southern girls.” said Montoya. Added Scott: “Every color, every shape, every size.”) Then its back to the studio to record their sixth album at the beginning of 2010.

– BLAKE

View clips of Saliva’s performance: