The Airborne Toxic Event and Cavil At Rest at the Detroit Bar

It seemed like I had not been to the Detroit Bar in ages when I pulled into the parking lot on Monday night. It was a free show with three upcoming bands Castledoor, The Airborne Toxic Event and Cavil at Rest.

Castledoor




It has been quite sometime since I last saw Castledoor here. Their growth is noticeable as they had gathered quite an audience watching their early performance. Nate Cole (Vocals) looked extremely comfortable singing heartfelt lyrics into compact catchy songs. When the opening notes of "The Man Who Sold The World" rang out, I was skeptical at first but Castledoor nailed it convincing me after a few bars. They played a new song entitled "Dumpster Diving" that showed great promise. Castledoor can be added on the list of bands to watch in 2008.

The Airborne Toxic Event




I missed Airborne Toxic Event when they played the Echoplex a few weeks back and heard the show was sold out. The buzz on them has been deafening as Buzz Bands and Inflight At Night have both profiled the band. They are signed to a UK label(Square) and have already toured the UK. It seems like they are poised to break out in the states as they have received airplay on some local radio stations. The delay washed keyboards of "Wishing Well" roam around inside your head as the overdriven Fender Jaguar comes roaring in behind a steady beat only to give way to Mikel Jollett's commanding voice. It was part Talking Heads and part Smiths rolled into one. "Papillon" shifted gears upward as they really turned up the heat. It is disheartening to think I can only listen to their 3 song EP. They will be finishing their record in December before embarking on a Thursday January Spaceland residency.

Cavil at Rest






I have seen a lot of guitars on stage in my time but was stumped for Cavil at Rest's whole set until Taylor Rice (Vocals/Guitars) explained he was playing a Goya Guitar made in Italy. Taylor was just one of the trio of front men for Cavil at Rest. Kelcey Ayer and Ryan Hahn made up the rest of the mixed singer trio. It was hard to believe they were unsigned as they glided into their brand of indie psychedelic folk rock. They used their trio of singer-songwriters to their advantage as each song varied and it was difficult to predict where their songs would go. I found this attribute to be a strength as they switched emphasis between vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards in their songs. My radar is on overload with three bands in one night to look out for.