2×3: Spirit of the Stairs (March 2008 :: Bloom)
Posted on 01. Mar, 2008 by Carrie in music
words > TROY R. WELLS
photos > RYAN HENDRIX
Wichita’s Spirit of the Stairs will celebrate its fifth anniversary next month at its former home, the shamrock. From the experimental two bass and drums trio they were to the doubled instrumental six-piece the band is today, SOTS spent the evening of Feb. 22 at Barleycorn’s reminding a Wichita audience that sometimes there isn’t such thing as too much of a good thing.
Wichita welcomed backed Chicago’s The Gunshy as one the two touring acts of the evening. The Gunshy is singer/songwriter Matt Arbogas, who opened the set solo only to be accompanied later by the other touring act Mustangs and Madras. From the first time I saw The Gunshy to now, there has been a progression: The once easily referenced raspy dishpan vibe of Tom Waits has grown and branched off into the arena of punk band Leatherface when backed by a band. It is songs of beer-stained wood floors and smoke-filled rooms from the melancholy seat at the bar—a truly honest experience of an American folk-rock hybrid that can quiet many in the room to attention.
After taking a short break, Denver’s Mustangs and Madras took to the stage—probably one of the tightest touring bands you may have never heard. The band brings together the sounds of At The Drive-In, Fugazi and Hot Snakes with a flowing sound that can go from sparse saxophone-played breaks into an epic crashing of drums and guitars that propels one into a warm analog daze. Mustangs and The Gunshy’s ties and friendship with those of Wichita grows every time they appear, so check them out the next time you get a chance.
Finally, SOTS’ 2×3 six-piece took to the stage. The band is comprised of Jeremy Bennett and Josh Wilson both on bass, Kody Ramsey and Kyle Hupp on drums and Zack Roach and Torin Andersen on guitar. SOTS is an all-instrument progressive-rock band that has the ability to paint soundscapes that can make the hairs of your arms stand on end, as well as carrying the listener across every emotional plane within minutes. Epic stories of the human experience that require no vocals: The multifaceted members of SOTS, are able to take a multidimensional and layered sound (where at times it may seem like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing) and show you that they were working together the whole time. SOTS is a young but yet long-running band that engaged the audience that evening, as they usually do, and made each participant want to make it a point to see them as often as possible.
