Free Energy and Friends at the Gaslamp
To promote the releasing of Love Sign, their second studio album, Free Energy is delivering their brand of over-driven power-pop to a venue near you. Slinging good vibes last night, the band played DSM's Gaslamp and well before the show was over the crowd was grinning and grooving along, some brave souls even jumped on stage for the finale.
Free energy is a quintet stationed in Philadelphia, but founded by the Wells brothers of Red Wing, MN; one on lead guitar, the other on bass. The Wells bros got their start playing at clubs in the Twin Cities before adding other members to the band in 2008, which included Paul Sprangers on lead vocals (whose voice and vitality seems like the prefect match for Scott Wells' sweet, sleek licks that zap like lightning) and cow-bell-crashing drummer, Nicholas Shuminsky.
In 2010 Free Energy put out their first studio album with a little help from LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, who not only produced the album, but who also helped promote it merely by way of his clout in the music business. Free Energy managed to get plenty of well deserved attention, including an 8.1 review rating of Stuck on Nothing by Pitchfork, thereby making them hipster GOLD. The first track from the album "Free Energy" is, by definition, a clarion call for all those interested in being infected by their catchy tracks. (It is so hooky you'll think an angler has caught you.)
Openers for Free Energy last night were Des Moines' very own Derek Lambert and the Prairie Fires (FREE DOWNLOAD), who played the Gaslamp for the first time (hopefully not the last) followed by Baby Boys, a quirky MPLS trio that featured pre made beats, lush hollow-body guitars sounds, and a standing drummer who maybe should have tried out as a marching band baton twirler...
This Tuesday Free Energy will play another show in Iowa, this time free show at Grinnell College in Gardner Lounge.
