13. The O's at Club Dada, 6/18/11

13. The O's at Club Dada.

Whole-wheat goodness in every bowl.

We seem to be returning to Club Dada quite a bit... Well, that'll stop when they quit booking must-see acts.  There was a ten-dollar cover, and worth every penny.

Remember how, in the last post, we said we weren't going to say anything bad about Slobberbone because they were just that good?  This also goes for the O's.  There are literally no grounds whatsoever on which to criticize this excellent, accomplished act.

The O's are a duO who play several instruments each.  Guitar, kick drum, lowebro, vibes, harmonica, banjo.  A lot of different sounds coming from these two guys.  Boozy silly funny stage banter.  Acoustic pop-folk, earnest and sometimes quite moving story-songs.

If you see them for the first time and like them, you will, as we have, see them many times again, and like them better each time. If you see them and you don't like them, there is something wrong with you.  Perhaps you would be happier at one of those shows where teenagers lip-synch breathy lines and there is a lot of gyrations by choreographed professionally fit people.

Don't get hung up on "acoustic."  The O's keep up a rapid, rollicking, bluegrass-raised-on-rock tempo.  Their screaming/yearning ballad "I Love You So Much" is a favorite.  "You've Got Your Heart" has a driving, forceful backbeat.  Overall, their showmanship is honed and refined by years of touring across the country and Europe. 

Local musicians in attendance that we spoke to: Salim Nourallah and Trey Carmichael of Sorta and Psycho Pony.

In sum: The O's are multi-talented instrumentalists, superb songwriters, and funny and personable onstage.  They have refined themselves into one of the best local bands, period.  There were four acts on the bill this night at Dada, but we had no regrets whatsoever about catching only the O's.  As far as we're concerned, we saw the show.

Later in the night, we saw a brother on a horse, just cold trotting down the street.  You don't see that every day.