I had been hearing about Dig Jelly’s live shows and read some favorable reviews of the band for quite awhile, but I wanted to know what the buzz was really about. When I heard the pumping energy and straight-forward raw quality of For Your Angry Inner Child, Dig Jelly’s last release, I felt like I had been hearing something very good that needed to be passed along to the musically deprived or pop radio depraved. Maybe that mission would be an exercise in futility, but they say word of mouth is key, especially when it comes to up and coming bands (or their publicists) who are trying to crack the critic’s often impenetrable crust and get their name out there in a city like Los Angeles that often whimsically raises and buries its musical talent.

My opinions are my own. Like, duh …right?

I think that Dig Jelly just wants to play music whether you like it or not. On the heading of their My Space page it is written, “We suck. Do not listen.” They have fans, however, who obviously don’t believe that statement, because there was an assemblage of those daring, defiant, Digees there at the Viper Room to see the show, which was set to go off at 12:30 AM., and did without a hitch.

When the band took the stage they owned the place immediately. There’s a transfer of energy that takes place between a band and its audience that can be felt, and when you’ve got a high energy band playing really well, it elevates the human spirit. Having a beautiful woman singer like Rayko, who plays guitar and who owns a set of abs that could kill can elevate things as well. But pushing all that moosh aside, Dig Jelly spread the jam nicely, playing full-throttle rock with a fun, garage band attitude and great musicianship.

www.digjelly.com
Dig Jelly is:

Rayko - vocals, guitar
Joey Felix - drums
Robby Lochner - lead guitar
Rain Earth Balen - bass