Presidents pull off peachy performance
Thursday night’s crowd goes wild over entire playlist
By Brian Remick
Daily Bruin Contributor
Stuff like this doesn’t happen very often.
Hundreds of people reciting in melodious harmony: "Millions of
peaches – peaches for free – millions of peaches – peaches for free
…"
Well, maybe it doesn’t happen to you very often, but for the
Presidents of the United States of America, it probably happens
every night, including at their show at the American Legion Hall on
Thursday.
So what’s so special about peaches? Well, nothing more than any
other topic that the Presidents choose to write about. Bugs, dirt,
opposable thumbs – you name it, they probably have a song about
it.
The crowd on Thursday loved them all – no matter how little
sense they made. The Presidents have a stage presence unlike most
other bands – you feel like you’ve known them for years.
"Are you 1,532 of our closest friends?!?" lead singer Chris
Ballew remarked sarcastically. One fan flicked him off. "No, no –
you’re using the wrong finger. You’re supposed to use the first
one."
The Presidents pounded their way through most of the songs on
their debut album, including the obvious "Lump," "Kitty," and some
song about some kind of fruit.
They also added a few new songs, which were received rather
positively. "Man," which Ballew noted was about being "hassled by
the Man." Figure out how they could possibly tie this into a song
about having opposable thumbs and you’re probably as crazy as they
are. It’s doubtful, though.
The Presidents only have five strings in their entire band.
Three on Ballew’s guitar/bass, and two more on the actual bass.
It’s amazing that they can come up with more than a couple of
different songs before they all start sounding the same, but
somehow they do.
The audience on Thursday was simply incredible – every single
person in the American Legion Hall was going nuts throughout every
song – some a little more nuts than others. Various pieces of
clothing piled up on stage, including a bra and a sweater, which
bass Dave Dederer held up, saying, "I don’t think this is going to
fit any of us. You can have it back after the show."
The Presidents played all three radio singles from their
self-titled album before the encore – a mistake in most cases.
Normally, a band is left with nothing but a virtually unknown track
from the album with which to conclude, leaving the audience
disappointed.
This audience didn’t seem to care, though, as Ballew peaked
around the corner of one of the huge amplifiers on stage, seeing if
the audience really wanted an encore. They did.
The band came right back on and played a few more songs from the
album, including "Tube Amplifier," to conclude – one of the better
songs off the President’s album. Their performance, coupled with a
strong opening by Lovejones, made the show a memorable one.
Lovejones is basically characterized by soft, electric guitar
melodies with more than a hint of blues. Performing songs from
their "Powerful Painful Relief," the band showed great potential on
Thursday.
The Presidents of the United States of America don’t claim to be
anything more than they are – a simple, fun-loving band who are a
lot of fun to watch. Who needs campaigns when you have these
guys?
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America,
Chris Ballew, appeared at the American Legion Hall last
Thursday.
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