The Troubadour, Doug Weston’s venerable nightclub, sits on the border between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, a location that represents the intersection of wildly divergent cultures and lifestyles. Behind the Troub’s doors on Wednesday, Nov. 29th, an all-ages audience was treated to another kind of cross-cultural encounter, in a show featuring five diverse rock bands from widely-scattered hometowns, headlined by A Static Lullaby from Chino Hills, California. After ASL topped off the night’s tankful of tasty tunes, the crowd had been serenaded by a melting pot of musical styles that ranged from pop to punk to “emo” to “screamo,” with a goodly glop of goth lobbed in.
ASL frontman Joe Brown explained that the Troubadour show would be the last for this particular leg of the band’s tour, which had been shared with the other four bands on the evening’s roster. Brown and his bandmates were touring vigorously in support of the group’s latest release, simply entitled “A Static Lullaby,” which came out on Oct. 10th, from Fearless Records. Response to the new disk has been very favorable so far, and in live performance of both fresh and familiar material, ASL showed all signs of an outfit that’s well-able to keep the interest and momentum going, on through the rest of this year and into 2007.
As ASL took the stage sometime after 10, a big backdrop hung behind recently-recruited drummer Jarrod Alexander, imprinted with the mournful, teary-eyed image from the recent album cover. Joe strode straight to center-stage, looking toned, taut and tattooed in a faded skull-face T-shirt and low-slung denims, his sandy thatch of hair teased and sculpted into a moderate version of his renowned housetop-styled “widow’s peak.” The group ripped right into “Hang ‘Em High,” a new track that’s gaining a lot of on-line popularity, and which earned prompt, eager approval from the crowd. From “...And Don’t Forget to Breathe,” ASL’s first album, came “Love to Hate, Hate to Me,” which led into a crowd sing-along with “Lip Gloss and Letdown.”
Earlier in the evening, it appeared that some audience members had the 
urge to mosh, but there was no real “pit” action until ASL broke loose with “The Art of Sharing Lovers” from the latest CD, and then a good handful of moshers got active on the floor. While Jarrod worked out with aerobic precision on the drums, new bass player Dane Poppin displayed relentless energy through song after song, flailing furiously with his instrument, and at times even playing behind his head like Jimi Hendrix. Guitarist John Death demonstrated masterful technical control on both old and new material, providing balance and support for Dan Albert’s limber lead work. The two axe-men paired their sounds smoothly during a stripped-down version of “Withered,” which was one of the many songs that got strong supplementary vocals from the crowd. “Withered” was also one of several compositions which showed the dramatic contrast between the singing styles of Dan and Joe. Dan would deliver an earnest melody line that would quickly be countered by a rip-roarin’ holler from Joe, thereby providing a capsule demonstration of the so-called “screamo” style that ASL helped to pioneer.
As noted, a variety of musical formats were on display throughout the evening, beginning with the hard-rocking efforts of Eudora, a five-man band from Orange County. Promoting a new CD, “And It Rained Machines,” the band has been called pop, punk, and many things in between. Eudora consists of guitarists Tim Markel and Robby Friend, singer David Tom, bassist Kevin Connor, and drummer Mike Crisis, who’s an expert at the mid-beat double-stick air-flip. Next up was another five-piece outfit, So They Say, from St. Louis, Missouri. Referred to by some as “indie” and “ambient,” So They Say features Joseph Hamilton on vocals, David Schroeder and Nicholas Walters on guitar, Joe Hoermann on bass, and Justin Hanson on drums. Response was strong for songs such as “Antidote for Irony,” which is also the title of the group’s latest CD and video. Following So They Say was a third quintet, Seattle-based The Classic Crime, out to support their new CD, “Albatross.” Charismatic vocalist Matt MacDonald teamed with guitarists Justin Duque and Robbie Negrin, along with bassist Alan Clark and drummer Paul Erickson, to rouse the audience to a friendly frenzy during sing-alongs such as “The Coldest Heart” and “The Fight.” The Classic Crime’s sound comes under a “melodic alternative” umbrella for some reviewers, and their set contained a blend of 
metallic crunch and hypnotic rhythm, setting listeners bouncing to the beat.
Audience expectation was high for the next act, I Am Ghost from Long Beach, a six-piece band which includes a virtuoso electric violinist named Kerith. This is a band that admits to certain gothic influences, and one fan referred to their music as “spooky-core,” but I Am Ghost may be a group of some of the most cheerful “goths” around. Sassy frontman Steve looked like an emcee from the dark side, wearing a subdued shirt and tie combo to complement his pale complexion and piercing eyes. Kerith was elegant in her skirt and spaghetti-strap top, smiling continually while she executed lightning-fast riffs and runs on her custom Zeta violin. Gabe and Tim built soaring guitar chord structures on the foundation laid by Brian and Ryan on bass and drums, rocking the packed crowd in front of the stage with somber yet animated songs such as “Our Friend Lazarus Sleeps” and “Eulogies and Epitaphs.” Touches of mist and moody lighting set a spectral tone for I Am Ghost during their set, which included frequent blazing interplays between guitar and violin, while Steve stayed in motion like a manic classical conductor.
During ASL’s set, Joe Brown made sure to give repeated thanks and recognition to the other bands on the evening’s line-up, describing the friendships and camaraderie that had been established through many days on the road. Some joking banter was exchanged with IAG’s Steve, as Joe explained how he found it funny to be friends with the “undead.” He also made sure to emphasize the excellent musical bond that he and Dan achieved during the past year 
with the new members of ASL. Jarrod, Dane, and John were consistently tight, clean, and inspired in their playing, bringing the older songs to life just as effectively as the new material. John provided excellent rhythmic support for the shredding lead Dan performed in “The Collision,” which highlighted the whole band’s ability to get down and jam like seasoned vets. And then Joe introduced the final song of the evening, a track already well-known by many in the audience, since it’s the customary closing tune at most ASL shows: “The Shooting Star That Destroyed Us.” The groove was going strong, the energy was high, and the house was really rockin’, when all of a sudden, from out of the wings of the stage, there came Kerith and her “Ghostly” bandmates, along with members of the other three bands on the bill, all bearing rolls and streamers of bathroom tissue, for the purpose of dramatically draping the boys in A Static Lullaby with garlands of rock-and-roll glory. The whole stage erupted into an impromptu toilet-paper fight, but still ASL somehow managed to finish the song, and then everybody retreated off the stage, chasing each other with squeezably-soft love-bombs, while electric static still hung in the air, as a kind of post-concert lullaby for the well-rocked fans at Troubadour.
