The Western Civilization et al. at Walter’s On Washington, Houston TX

There’s something about great local rock shows that large touring acts are simply unable to reproduce. Local, hometown bands play in comfortable, familiar venues filled with the friends and acquaintances who regularly patronize their shows. From the onset, there’s a comfortable vibe in the air as hands are shaken, hugs are distributed freely, and high-fives are passed around the assembled concertgoers. The crowd has the albums, has seen the bands play before, and is ready to sing along with full-throated voices - it’s hard to beat this energy.

Thus, from the onset, the 60+ folks who made their way to Walter’s On Washington on Friday night were there to have a great time and take in a good show. The 4-piece emo-pop band While You Were Gone opened things up, much to the delight of a group of boys & girls with matching skinny jeans and asymmetrical haircuts. While the lead singer possessed a clean, strong voice, she was overpowered throughout the set by a drummer who over-played everything, drowning out his bandmates. Following their 5-song set, up-and-coming local folk chanteuse Gretchen Schmaltz quieted down the venue, but wowed the crowd with her accessible voice and adept finger-picking. Her set featured 4 songs from her recently released EP Laced Up Tightly, with her strongest songs being “Fire For Wings” and “The Guards.”

After her departure from the stage, Church Of Philadelphia provided yet another change of pace and genre for the evening, as this eclectic 6-piece loaded up the stage with a variety of instruments, ranging from the traditional guitar, bass, & drums to a collection of percussion toys, two banks of keyboards, a pedal steel, and a harpist. The band’s chemistry was made most evident with the crowd-pleasing songs “This Time Around” and “Kingdom Of Hearts,” available on their self-titled, independently released debut album. With a style and appreciation for dynamics reminiscent of The Arcade Fire, the members regularly shifted instruments in between songs with a fluidity that never slowed things down, and instead served to enhance their strong, yet too-short set.

To end the night on a high note, The Western Civilization took the stage to raucous approval from the assembled crowd. This is a sonically diverse band that employs 2 girls and 3 guys with dueling male-female lead vocals, and features a smattering of shoegaze, some freak folk, a great ear for sampling, and the ability to connect well with people through their music. While the songs “Love Struck Angel” and “The Sun Will Rise…” served as highlights for the night, the band took great pains to fill the venue and their entire set with a well-executed wall of sound and songcraft. The Western Civilization sets off in October for a month or so of regional touring, armed with great songs, an EP, and a LP, all of which were ably showcased at Walter’s On Washington.

Yeah, it was a safe crowd, a group of folks who already possess a predilection for the bands’ sound, but when you stop to think about it, most concerts are prone to hagiographic commentary from the attendees. The only true differences between going to see Coldplay or U2 at the Toyota Center and going to see one’s favorite local band at one’s preferred local dive is the size of the crowd and the price of the ticket - everyone who’s at the show wants to be there and the show would have to be royally craptastic to illicit anything outside of a favorable response. Thankfully, the performances on this night weren’t lacking and everyone went home more than pleased with the events of the evening.