A House Show, Or Something Like That: Madre Padre, Good Night Alive, and Dalmatian

If you are anything like me, the phrase house show probably brings a few key words to mind: band, beer, and basement. You wouldn’t be wrong either. The house show on November 14, 2015 in Macon, GA had all of those things and then some.

It was the kind of show that elicits amusing banter between the bands and the group of bodies standing up or stretching out across the floor. It was also the kind of show that makes a lead singer forget he is, in fact, playing a show (the “house” part of house show can be really quite confusing) and proceed to drop his pants.

Before I tell you more, though, I should warn you that after several consultations with professionals (mainly, my husband, Zack), a single musical bone has yet to be found in my body, which basically means that I have no idea what I’m talking about. I do, however, have bones, specifically, in the hip region, that respond involuntarily to really good music.

After last Saturday’s show, I am completely convinced that the members from all three bands (Madre Padre, Good Night Alive, and Dalmatian) each possess an entire skeleton made up of magical, musical bones. I did not examine them closely; I am only telling you what my hips told me.

Dalmatian is the first band to take the stage, a corner in the basement indicated by several strings of lights.

I cannot recall the first time I heard Dalmatian play, just that it was love at first listen. A good friend of mine, and all around reliable source, describes their music as that “quintessential twenty-something-drive-across-the-country-and-find-yourself” sort of sound.

If that’s not a genre, I don’t know what is.

For me, the music of Dalmatian is somewhere between a shimmy and a shake, and I don’t mean the lead singer’s dancing either, although the description certainly fits. Michael Suhr (vocals, guitar) is a lot like your favorite aunt after she’s had one too many glasses of wine—loose, lively, and more than willing to strip.

“Hold my jacket,” he says, tossing it on the floor. Aunt Michael, I want to be just like you when I grow up.

When Dalmatian finishes their set, I experience what can best be described as phantom limb. My hips want to keep moving, but it’s the music they really miss. Luckily, they just released a new album. Go, buy, listen—get your hips the help they need.

A brief intermission takes place. This is a lot of fun as well, but what happens at a house show…

Well, it happened, and you should have been there.

Good Night Alive is up next and when they start playing my hips surrender to everything else. It starts in my shoulders and eventually surges through my legs. I am more than okay with this.

While they play there are a lot of unusual requests to ‘take your pants off’ because let’s face it, the first band set the bar really high—and the britches very low.

If you know any of the lyrics, though, you are shouting them instead. Your vocal cords just can’t help themselves. Zack Horton (vocals, guitar) is certainly shouting back.

 

 

 

If the lead singer of Dalmatian is your crazy aunt, then these guys bring the tough love. The sound is powerful, stern, like a spanking, but the lyrics feel more like a hug. Not to mention the fact that Bobby McCullough (guitar) is like GNA’s very own Drunk Uncle from SNL. He’s wearing a house robe and has plenty of inappropriate jokes to tell.

Do yourself a favor and watch the music video for their song “Killing You Slow.” It’s scary good. Also, be on the lookout for their upcoming album, which they hope to have ready for you all by the end of the year.

There is another brief intermission and a lot of other things take place, the details of which you’ll never know.

The final band is Madre Padre, and it doesn’t take long for my bones to respond to their sound. The music has moved even further now, up to my neck and down to my toes.

These guys are definitely your cool, older cousins, the ones who buy you beer. When Johnny Davis (vocals, guitar) and Ryan Bohannon (vocals, bass) start to sing you can hear the experience of the song in their voice. They have seen things, heard things, felt things, all of which they are willing to share.

I’m a sucker for a sad song that you can dance to. “There Are Some Things We’ll Never Share” really does the trick. Creep on over to their SoundCloud now and listen to it and some of their other songs.

Also, if you’ve been living under a rock these past two years and haven’t seen the music video for “Bump” yet, today’s your lucky day.

The show is over. Bodies begin wandering out into the yard to find their cars. You say your goodbyes and start to leave only to realize, like me, that this was less like a house show and more like a family gathering. Sure, you haven’t met all of your relatives yet, some you haven’t seen in months, but all you really know is that you want to get together again real soon.