Cran.. Sept. 24

Cran
with the Poison Dart
at Ethical Addictions, September 24, 2005
Reviewed by Stephen Jersak

I went to Endoplasmic fully expecting to see Stun the Silence and Read the Label. I was really looking forward to it, as not only am I friends with 5 of the seven people playing, I have been in bands with two of them. I had heard the doors were opening at 7. I showed up at 6:55, to find out that the place was already at capacity. Deciding not to waste the night I headed for Ethical Addictions. I knew that Jonny was having his CD release party at 8.

The first band started at 8:20, with the words “We are an 11-piece reggae band from San Francisco.” At first I wasn’t into it, but the Poison Dart really did a good job. I liked them, but that was about it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see one of their shows. One interesting aspect of the band was the constant trading of instruments. It brought a lot of variety to their set. The one obvious flaw of the international trio was that they played for about an hour.

Finally, it was time for Cran. Despite some technical difficulties, Cran was perfect. Jonny again proved that he is a musical genius. The lyrics are so oddball that they work incredibly. Sure, he sounds better recorded, but Jonny has really done something amazing with his live shows. He actually tries to do something different, rather than the simple emulating of their cds that far too many bands do. I really wish that I would have been able to see his whole set.