Rolling Stones magazine called it "The best unsigned band in America." Stuff magazine said it was the most consistently listenable. Harp said that this trio from Athens, Ga. "storm the barn and leave us windblown and grinning."
This trio is none other than the indie-rock band The Whigs. They performed at The Creepy Crawl in Midtown St. Louis on April 6.
The group is made up of two guitarists, Parker Gispert and Hank Sullivant, and drummer Julian Dorio. Dorio was named Best Drummer of the Year 2007 by Esquire magazine. St. Louis welcomed The Whigs for a second time to perform music from their debut album, "Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip," which dropped in the summer of 2005.
The Creepy Crawl venue, located at 3524 Washington, looked like a typical bar. It was separated into two rooms.
In the main performance room, I could see the bar, a few tables and chairs, and arcade games scattered about. It reminded me of a cold dark basement.
The venue was not one for major performances but it served its purpose. The stage was just small enough for a three-member band. The place was free of any decorations, giving it a casual feel.
I inspected the crowd, hoping to get an idea of the fan base that The Whigs attracted. I was surprised to see patrons of all ages.
Since The Creepy Crawl is located so close to St. Louis University, I was not surprised to see the groups of college kids milling around the room.
However, I was shocked to see those that looked to be in their late 30s and 40s. I guess it is true that you are only as old as you feel and The Whigs seemed to be appreciative of all of their fans despite their ages.
I do not claim to be a rock fan but I must admit, The Whigs were not that bad. The music, however, was much louder than the walls would allow, so I could not hear any of the words to the songs. I tried standing farther away from the stage but that did not help.
On the other hand, the instrumentals were great. The musicians played in perfect harmony. Nothing sounded out of place and things seemed to flow naturally. I could tell that they were talented. They reminded me of a garage band but in a good way.
Each song had a different tone as well as tune. Unlike some musicians who do not know how to mix things up, these guys were great. It is a shame that since I could not hear any of the words, I do not know what the songs were about. I did, however hear that one of the songs was titled "Written Invitation." The only part that I could hear was the chorus.
The front man, Gispert, had a really raspy and powerful voice. He did a lot of screaming though, which I assumed was because he was so passionate about whatever it was he was singing about. Or maybe that's just what rockers do.
Gispert was also extremely animated; more so than Sullivant. During his performances, he jumped around the stage and did a bunch of head-banging with his electric guitar in tow.
He looked like he was having a temper tantrum. At one point, I thought he was about to do a split. In fact, he probably could have if his pants were not so tight.
The band seemed to keep most of the party-goers' attention. A few people danced to the songs while most of the other patrons just seemed to stare at them until each song was over. They would applaud and some would hoot and holler.
Overall, it seemed like the crowd was into it. No one booed or walked away, but there were two things that I did not like.
After each song, the trio would discuss what they were going to play next, as if they were not prepared. At one point, the lead singer handed the second singer his guitar while he stepped off to play the keyboard. The problem was that the keyboard was off to the side of the stage were he could not be seen. I could vaguely hear him singing but I did not know where he was until I moved to the other side of the room.
Overall, I thought that The Whigs' performance went well. That is, if you only judge them on the instrumentals.
Since I could only make out a few words during the entire performance, it is hard for me to critique what I could not hear. I do not blame the band because they were working with what they had. Next time, they should creep or crawl across the street to The Fox or any other venue where they can actually be heard.
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