Two Young Brooklyn Bands Show Promise At Iota

Two up-and-coming Brooklyn bands, Motel Motel and Dinosaur Feathers, made the trip down to Arlington's Iota Club and Cafe for a rock 'n' roll show on Monday night. A stark removal from the eclectic neighborhood of Williamsburg, both geographically and culturally, the distance and unfamiliarity showed as the diminutive crowd seemed to consist only of each band's traveling entourage and a few lonely journalists.

Iota, however, had predicted the low numbers, leaving tables and chairs scattered in front of the stage. This allowed listeners to soak in the rock concert like a jazz club patron, seated, relaxed, and sipping one of the many tasty draft selections, as loud electronic guitar notes blasted the audience in the face.

The size of the crowd was not a comment on the quality of the bands, as both Motel Motel, the opener, and Dinosaur Feathers, the headliner, proved tight and talented. Both bands displayed a propensity for vocal harmonies, distinct mid-song transitions, and strange time signatures, but each band drew their influences from disparate genres.

Motel Motel seem to derive their guitar heavy songs from the treasure chests of 70's psych-rock, re-imagined as modern Americana, and paired with a twangy falsetto reminiscent of the many Southern crooners who've come before. A heavy-set, bearded man stationing Iota's sound board approached Motel Motel after the set in order to compliment their performance. "You guys sound like Lynrd Skynard on acid," he said, a comparison perhaps not all that inaccurate.

If Motel Motel drew their influences from the South, Dinosaur Feathers were certainly a bit more west coast-inspired, drawing on the harmonies of Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and the guitar strums of tropicalia. Dinosaur Feathers brought a little more joy, funk, and bounce to the stage, replacing Motel Motel's grunge with smiles and peppy pop. Both bands proved worthy of a ten dollar cover, and showed potential.

With a little more time for evolution and maturation, a little guidance in the studio, and some expertise on the mixing boards, the relevance of both these indie bands could improved tremendously. It's likely that next time either one of these bands comes through Arlington they will have registered on the conciseness of the many hipsters who were drinking at Galaxy Hut, unaware of the quality playing across the street.

The show kindly ended by 10:45, as journalists and band-members alike needed their precious shuteye. But not before some fun was had, and new music discovered. These are some of the more low-key but most interesting and promising bands to come through Iota this spring. While this venue is certainly better suited for acoustic driven music, as the small set up and cozy interior isn't ideal for a full and electric sound, the small crowd was still plenty delighted to have witnessed talent in an intimate setting. Such a luxury is rare. Besides, next time these guys might be selling out the Black Cat.