Good rock music does not seem like it would be a hard thing to create. Wrap up a solid beat with some chords and catchy lyrics, and there it is. Yet countless "rock" bands have been able to swing and miss at this pitch for years.
That is what made the University Programming Board's concert this past Thursday all the more enjoyable: The three bands that performed that night, Saving Face, The Dog & Everything and Ludo, all got rock right while still infusing their music with their own unique touches to make it stand out.
First up on the evening was Saving Face from Madison, Wis. This power pop three-piece started the show off right and was able to move a crowd of about 90 people to its feet by mid-set. Musically, Saving Face was fairly simplistic. Lyrically, the band wasn't really anything that special, although there were some very nice overlapping harmonies throughout. Still, the energy this two-boy-one-girl trio displayed was electric and got heads nodding.
In short, Saving Face slid nicely into the new-millennium, black t-shirt, chain wallet version of "punk."
The Dog & Everything out of Chicago, Ill. took the cramped Tally stage next. The music was sort of a mix of Goldfinger, Sugarcult and Something Corporate (minus the piano and heavier on the guitar). Take the best qualities of those three bands, put them in a blender and the rocking milkshake that comes out is The Dog & Everything. The band ended its set with a cover of The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" that in quality was slightly better than The Buggles' version but still short of the Presidents of the United States' cover.
The headliner of the show was St. Louis's Ludo, which visited Ball State back in November, opening for Blessid Union of Souls. By mixing quirky lyrics with impressive musicianship, Ludo was able to deliver the best performance of the night and show why they are becoming increasingly popular.
Ludo's music spanned across multiple genres seemingly all at once. There were obvious traces of punk, ska and doo-wop during the set. By the time the band covered Faith No More's "Epic" almost flawlessly, it was clear that Ludo has an extensive catalog of influences to pull from to create its unique sound.
The group's ability to perform to a high level while still not taking itself too seriously was a delight to see and ended a very good show on an excellent note.
In the end, the show turned out to be exactly what it was promoted as: A rock show.
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