Secret Carrboro Ninja Patrol: Thank You Nashville, We Accept

Once and Future Kings at Nightlight in Chapel Hill
July 27, 2009

suspension of reality

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Audience side of the Nightlight stage Once and Future Kings had just occupied with crunchy vintage amps and a hand full of microphone stands I listened to the first few songs and began to contemplate things which are nearly as polished as they; my dad's special occasion pair of size 13 cordovan wing tips, the cobble at the bottom of high mountain Colorado river head waters, the trick paint on Xzibit's Gumball 3000 Lamborghini Gallardo. My mind was drifting a bit too far for a Monday night so I switched gears and contemplated things that become this polished suddenly and without anyone noticing a little wax on wax off; blank. My first impression of Once and Future Kings was upon a recommendation to listen to their myspace stream and my reaction was, "these guys are from Raleigh? How have I missed this?" We are accustomed to talent here in our own little world of indie rock and half the fun is watching it develop from course raw ability to shimmering polished and shiny. With a 5k strong myspace networking list, a big boy studio wrapped EP on the merch stand, and style so tightly developed that one may misinterpret them as a touring band from Oxford or Brixton, Once and Future Kings have spent their time polishing the raw talent in Nashville, and have been sent here to show off the shine. Thank you Nashville, we accept.

Once and Future Kings' five song EP Emergent Sea is a daisy of studio work and the calculated production they bring to the stage is a heavy balance between their sound booth heroics and a dimly lit concert hall. To shine on, Once and Future Kings looks beyond the standard of a band showing up to run through their songs and seeks to bring alive and set free the spectacular Brit-pop sound that was captivated in the studio. They set free a heavy footed American Telecaster to stalk the composition and dramatically emerge at the refrains to shock seize and devour. They let loose a rare second main vocalist mic to route through a pumped mids effects loop in compliment of lead singer Jesse's painstakingly precise vocals. Their live show deftly maneuvers foot switch effects and processors to free sound that took hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of studio gear to put on a CD. The map that these guys followed through the studio has lead them to the stage. The road signs may be different, but the key at the bottom is the same.

Once and Future Kings closed the night with a crowd of fifty gathered around the stage pointing video cameras and iphones. Those fifty were the same who opened the show with high expectations and the grin of those who know something no one else does. Once and Future Kings embraces their new found friends with a full line-up of fall shows including two local releases of Emergent Sea. Their next planned show will be at Metro Cafe in Raleigh on Thursday August 27th. --Carrboro Ninja

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