All photos by Jennifer Haller

Cymbals Eat Guitars , Crocodile, 3/28/10

I got to the Crocodile just in time for secret surprise openers Cymbals Eat Guitars (The band had a no compete clause in their contract with Sasquacth so they couldn't advertise their appearance).

Here is something I've noticed: In every Seattle crowd there is at least one headbanger, a person for whom headbanging is instinctual, and if the band rocks hard enough that instinct just takes over and the headbanger goes ape shit. Every once in a while the headbanger's self-consciousness kicks in and the headbanger gets nervous and stops for a moment... but no! The band IS ROCKING TOO HARD! Caution abandoned, the headbanger resumes, maybe even spicing things up with some air guitar. Anyway, Cymbals Eat Guitars' proggy punk reached that guy last night, and they should be proud.



Bear in Heaven, Crocodile, 3/28/10

The evening's highlight, though, was Bear in Heaven. The band's groove was hypnotic. Drummer

Joe Stickney's frantic rhythms expanded the bands' psychedelic drone, pushing soaring choruses to the stratosphere. Of course “Lovesick Teenagers” killed but I was surprised at the energy that album cuts “Wholehearted Mess” and especially “You Do You” brought to the live setting. When "You Do You" exploded into its final chorus, the audience finally began to move and didn't stop until the band left the stage.

High Places went last, and I felt kind of bad for them. The late Sunday starting time already ensured that much of the audience would trickle out and their aquatic mix wasn't going to persuade non-devotees to stick around. They tried out some new songs which emphasized a hard bass drum pulse, but the band's trademarks, sloshing beats and drowned out melodies, kept the songs from really taking off in a non DIY venue.