Disco Biscuits: Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 10.7.09

Things in the world of the Disco Biscuits have been pretty busy lately. They’ve been playing lots of shows, most of which have been getting consistently great reviews, have released a new EP, On Time, and are debuting and refining lots of eclectic new songs on the road. They’ve blazed a deep path this year, finally hitting full stride, and seem intent on keeping things that way with a schedule of big shows to finish out ’09 (including their own beachfront festival, Caribbean Holidaze, in Jamaica, and five nights in Times Square leading up to New Year’s Eve).

Once again, the band made the trek up north to Burlington to grace the Higher Ground Ballroom, and as always, the event was a hot, two set dance party throwdown. From the opening notes of the old school favorite, “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.,” through a driving “Rock Candy,” into a blisteringly heavy version of the new single, “You and I”,  back into “Rock Candy”, the band never let up. Playing with a new found vigor, the Biscuits have not been this on-point, or slick, in years.  Something, or someone has put a spark in this band. Maybe it’s their new affiliation with heavy weight management firm Red Light, or it could be that putting so much time into developing the new album, with the complete final version coming out early next year after a series of EPs, has pushed the creative energy into motion. Whatever it is, the new tune, debuted a month earlier, “Pimp Blue Rikki,” was a shining example, and lived up to it’s peculiar name with a strange, syncopated swagger.

The second set got the crowd going again almost immediately with another fan favorite, “Caterpillar”. Like the first set, the second started with a major sandwich containing the relatively newer freak-out “Orch Theme,” and the older, heavy rager “Digital Buddha.” The band connected well throughout the show and by the time they got to “Rivers,” the last of the newer songs for the night, they were on fire and delivered a super version of the power rock flavored crowd pleaser. That energy continued all the way into the encore, wrapping things up with a short and sweet alternate version of “Frog Legs” that had a strong ’80s feel.

If the point of the night was to get the whole crowd to dance to the peak of heavy sweat and exhaustion, the Biscuits accomplished the goal.

10/07/09 The New Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT
Set I: M.E.M.P.H.I.S.> Rock Candy> You and I> Rock Candy, Pimp Blue Rikki, Spraypaint
Set II: Caterpillar> Orch Theme> Digital Buddha> Caterpillar, Rivers, And The Ladies Were The Rest Of The Night, Home Again
Encore: Frog Legs

Glide senior writer Joe Adler is a singer/songwriter performing regularly around Burlington, Vermont. www.joeadler.com

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