 by Shawn Rameshwar
SUPER HAPPY FUN LAND -- 5/2/2005: I recently had a chance to see Baby Calendar play at Super Happy Fun Land. This trio really made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Aric, Tom, and Jackie really made an impression on me with the bounce in their step and their smiles all around. It's nice to see a band that really enjoys playing together and are not afraid to show it. They really put out the effort, and it didn't go unnoticed by the crowd that stuck around to see them.
Basically, these guys sounded like "poppy" indie-rock, but they threw in a few extra gems that were tastefully added to the mix. The Casio keyboard parts were not necessary but were very complimentary and well-played. Tom, the guitarist, mixed in some jazzy/ska-like phrases, as well as some Devo-esque sensibilities, that fit in seamlessly. Tom's musical sensibilities added a lot to their sound without forcing a given song too far away from what I assume to be the band's genre of choice (i.e., indie-rock).
Vocally, Jackie and Tom did a really good job. Their voices complemented each other well, and they did a good job of sharing the sonic space usually reserved for vocals. Aric, for his part, was a total freaking madman on drums. I noticed that his drums were set sort of high, and that nothing in his drum kit looked like it was angled towards him. When he began to play, I understood why: downward force is usually thwarted when forced to make contact at angles. Aric was all about that downward force, although he was also secure enough not to overlook his dynamics.
Overall, it was a good show that was professionally played. One tip for the youngsters on tour: never, I mean NEVER spend the night with a maniac like BROMAN. I saw these guys take off with BROMAN after the show, and the sadness grew deep within me. Who knows what sorts of defilement they would encounter? Either way, the next time I'm Baby Calendar's home town of Miami, Florida, I'll warn them about that.
LINKS:
Baby Calendar -- http://www.geocities.com/modulatura/;
Super Happy Fun Land -- http://www.superhappyfunland.com/
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