Monday nights just don’t seem the same in my world as everyone else’s. I remember back in high school when the ESPN Monday Night Football commercials would show people hating their fucking miserable jobs/lives and thinking “Oh shit is that what Mondays as a grownup are like??” Thankfully my life hasn’t come to the same fate of those people in the commercials. Not yet anyway… But this past Monday I made the 20 minute pilgrimage to a familiar spot on Houston to Mercury Lounge, where my good friend Rocker Stalker was throwing a rock show with a pretty impressive lineup. The last act of the night, Graveyard Lovers, was the band I was there to see. If only the Monday Night Football commercial featured people going out on a Monday night to see this band each week, kids would have way more fun expectations of what it’s like to be a grown up.
The three piece band may have played a rather short set, but their seven songs sure went a long way. Their rock and roll core makes for a solid foundation for them to thrive off of as the music consisted of an even balance of guitar riffs, signature rhythmic patterns, and cool bass lines. Singer/guitarist Zach Reynolds’ signature vocals reminded me of a Nic Cester of JET in his tenor tonality and keeping a clean edge with just enough natural distortion. Drummer Tricia Purvis carries a cool and charismatic style of her own holding down the fort banging on the skins.
The band as a whole has the gritty, dirty, type of rock and roll vibe that you want to see in a solid rock band. They’re not worried about looking the flashiest or sounding the most technical, but rather just keepin’ it simple just the way I like it. Don’t think they don’t bring anything unique to the table though, their songwriting ability is as diverse and the city they hail from. From the power chord driven ‘Ripe’, a newer song in ‘Partner’ which could pass for a more pop/rock kinda song, the hit potential ‘When I Get Mine’ which is built around a solid riff with hit single potential, and ‘Dreamers’ – a jam that even The Strokes would love to play.
Article by: Tom Shackleford
