Lotus
Sun. Nov. 9
The Pour House
The Lotus preview story in last week’s paper was one of those stories you fire off on deadline; the last assignment in a day of writing. The opener read, “Lotus is a rock band.” I didn’t give it much thought. But Sunday night, amidst a not-too-crowded but energetic dance floor, it made sense. I heard three people comment that the show was less electronic than they expected — more rock ‘n’ roll. With their extensive new lighting rig (colors — awesome!) and increasingly-honed, straight-ahead instrumental trips, Lotus aptly filled the Farm’s big space with sound. Although they broke out the soaring anthem “Behind Midwestern Storefronts” early on, it felt like they found their stride about halfway through the set. And then they rocked. The surprisingly half-capacity crowd was appreciative, and no one complained about the extra room to boogie. (www.lotusvibes.com) —Stratton Lawrence
Dangermuffin
Sun. Nov. 9.
The Surf Bar
Either as the duo of singer guitarist Dan Lotti and lead guitarist Mike Sivilli or as a trio with an additional drummer, Dangermuffin’s shows usually bounce to a casual and natural swing beat. Last Sunday, in front of a tipsy crowd of locals at The Surf Bar on Folly Beach, the Muffins performed with drummer Steven Sandifer, who recently replaced Jim Donnelly. Despite a disruption during the first set — when a dancing couple stumbled and fell into the stage, knocked over microphones, and smashed Sivilli’s guitar pedal board — the band recovered nicely and pressed through the evening with a cool variety of reworked standards and original tunes from. Sandifer’s minimalist approach on his small battery of percussion instruments worked well in this setting. Switching from plunking a conga and cowbell to tapping a tambourine on the floor and playing a deep-toned snare with brushes (Victor DeLorenzo-style!), his uncomplicated rhythms allowed sonic space for Lotti’s raspy singing and Sivilli’s guitar embellishments. (www.myspace.com/dangermuffin) —T. Ballard Lesemann