That Seventy show

Certain bands create a buzz from their affiliations with past projects and not from their current projects. Milwaukee is, in many ways, famous as “the band with those guys from Far.” Mike Farrell’s reputation as a guitarist for Sex 66 sometimes outshines his many current projects. And a looming shadow often seems to black out whatever the Ricky and Del Connection tries to accomplish, post Kai Kln.

One wonders if it isn’t a similar state with Seventy. After all, three of the members were originally in the Tattooed Love Dogs (TLD), certainly one of the area’s better-known bands. But, as was pointed out a few weeks ago in SN&R, Seventy sounds very different from TLD, so perhaps the band members will find it easier to step away from their own past.

What is also interesting, though, is that Seventy doesn’t even sound much like itself—or, perhaps more accurately, there is an element of the band’s live show that doesn’t seem as readily apparent in its recorded offerings and stated influences. Those influences are namely Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and though it’s true that these influences certainly are present in the band’s recordings and live show, there is another element that is even more prevalent on the live stage at times: a serious nod to classic soul music.

At its recent CD-release show at Old Ironsides, Seventy performed an excellent set to an enthusiastic audience. The band’s harmony vocals and strong melodic lines definitely do create a Beatles vibe (specifically, pre-1967), but the soul-music vibe seemed even stronger at times. The music seemed to oscillate somewhere between the Beatles and Otis Redding and, if so, it was an effective, interesting oscillation—particularly because the influence of soul music is one not often heard on local stages and certainly not in local pop/rock bands like Seventy. Check out www.seventysongs.com to see if you can find Redding in the music yourself or, better yet, catch the band live on April 15 at the G Street Pub in Davis.

Incidentally, opening last weekend’s show was Mamma, an excellent San Diego trio that came off like a post-Nirvana take on the Cars. Music fans will get a second chance to check the band out when it returns to Old Ironsides for a planned stop later this spring. It is definitely worth a listen.

It’s about damned time. Every city that prides itself on live music seems to have at least one or two music publicists, except, of course, for Sacramento. Enter Ferocious Kitty Media, a new outfit put together by local musician Adam Varona and Sacramento Bee staff writer Danielle Anselmo, which plans to fill this void. In any case, Ferocious Kitty’s kick-off concert is something no one who loves local music will want to miss, with performances scheduled for 25 local musicians, including Ghetto Moments, Anton Barbeau, Estereo, the Miles, the Veronicas, St. Simon 3, Radio Cure, SquishTheBadMan and Life Is Bonkers. The show will be held at 3461 33rd Street on Sunday, April 4. Contact (916) 813-1616 or visit www.ferociouskittymedia .com for more information.