Muen Magazine

Tomorrows Bad Seeds

6/5/10

The Roxy Hollywood, CA

Tomorrows Bad Seeds celebrated the release of their sophomore album “SACRED FOR SALE” Saturday night at The Roxy in Hollywood. Judging by the absolute sheer numbers of those in attendance, the band didn’t look like they were going to have a problem selling any type of sacredness. But on the off chance that there were a few hard sellers in the audience, there’s no doubt that within the first 30 seconds of the band’s opening song even the most ardent nay sayers were screaming YES.

This Hermosa Beach 5-piece have been relentlessly fine tuning their style of reggae-rock since 2004 and have succeeded by leaps and bounds where others of their genre (Pepper, Slightly Stoopid) seem to just stagnate. If you’re new to TBS the first categorization bus a laymen would throw them under would be the SUBLIME one. But that is such a disservice to TBS that its borderline insulting. Where Sublime would have a mix mash of reggae, punk, dub and ska that was rough to the point of obnoxious, TBS have a focused and concise grip on the elements they incorporate into their music.

At its core lies the triumphant soul of reggae but it’s what embodies it that gives the music depth, dimension, and identity. TBS adds plenty of punk aggression and unbridled frenzy to the mix that happily satisfies the shirtless floor apes wishing to slam into one another. But, they’re able to do it in a way that never crescendos. Instead, they meticulously flex their power and energy bringing it to a constant fever pitch without ever extinguishing it.

Add to that the ability to musically capture the trademark swagger of a SoCal beach town as well as the concrete confidence of an urban dweller mixed in with the musings of a heartbroken poet and you’ve got one amazing mix of sound and feeling coming at you from every direction.

Their live show is as tight as daddy’s wallet and executed with surgical precision. You can tell these 5 homeboys are dialed in to one another and their well crafted songs which in turn effortlessly brings in the audience to one mass conscience vibe. The set was full of searing rampage and cool lush emotions taking everyone on a jam packed journey of the human condition.

Guitarists Sean Chapman and Mathew McEwan fluidly traded off parts that kept the intensity ever present even in the band’s most mellow and quiet moments. Bass player Andre Davis was constantly keeping the foundation solid yet elastic enough to make your body sway and bounce. Drummer Pat Salmon bashed, thrashed and assaulted every beat like an ass kicking from an angry pimp and band front man Moises Juarez hit every note with the utmost sincerity and clarity. Sometimes channeling the peaceful ghost of Marley and at other times exuding the rage and command of Zach de la Rocha.

Tomorrows Bad Seeds are one of the very few bands that are able to sound like two entirely different entities. If you listen to their CD whether it be their debut EARLY PRAYERS or their brand spankin’ new SACRED FOR SALE you’ll get an amazing blend of soul, rock, reggae, and pop. But live, Tomorrows Bad Seeds blasts out a relentless onslaught of energy and power that doesn’t let up and keeps your body a prisoner to movement.

Even if you’re not a typical fan of this type of music, do yourself a favor and check these guys out if they’re planting themselves in a field near you.