PANCAKES AND WHISKEY PRESENTS: ROCK N' ROLL & BOURBON AT THE KNITTING FACTORY

Pancakes and Whiskey took over The Knitting Factory Friday night for its three-band showcase. Four Roses Bourbon helped to draw out the first 50 people who were eager to spend their free booze ticket on the flavorful whiskey. The three featured bands brought out the rest of the crowd.

First up was Infinity Girl, an all-male shoegaze group. True to shoegaze form, Infinity Girl’s music was heavy on guitar effects, which made their sound both bright and colorful. Band members took turns with the vocals, and though these were indistinguishable, they went hand-in-hand with their principal sound just like the Four Roses Bourbon and coke the bartender was serving up. The combination of guitar effects and floating vocals gave their music an overall dreamlike quality.

The five members of The Love Ways took to the stage next. Hailing from Goshen, New York – a town about an hour outside of Manhattan – the band livened the mood with their Strokes-inspired music. They played some of the songs off of their new EP entitled “Vacant Years,” including tracks “When You’re On Your Own,” “Breaker,” and “Avalanche Kids.” Their music featured fast-paced drum and guitar rhythms often preceded by drum count-ins, and to give you a better sense of it all, drummer Mark Shreve sported a Senses Fail tee.

Last to play were The Rotaries, a threesome spewing rip rop music – a combination of alternative rock and indie pop. Their sound seemed to draw from both The Strokes and The Pixies, with a lot of emphasis on guitar. During the band’s last song, the lead singer and guitarist collapsed to his knees, shredding every last inch of his guitar as if his life depended on it.

Watch the videos we took of all three bands here and stay tuned for future Pancakes and Whiskey showcases.

Article by: Alexa Tietjen

Photos by: Shayne Hanley