popwreckoning

Company of Thieves are one of the best acts to come out of Chicago in the past couple of years and after their initial release of Ordinary Riches, I was hooked. “Indie rock band” is a popular tag these days, but add “female vocalist” and you’ve got something new and exciting. And Genevieve Schatz certainly does not disappoint. She may look like a fragile, pretty thing with her bouncy curls and always creative outfits, but once she belts out a couple notes I guarantee your jaw will be on the floor. She means business.

Their sophomore effort Running from a Gamble starts strong with a short a capella  tune appropriately titled “Intro”; I’d like to think it’s there to give listeners a couple seconds to prepare for the mind-blowing music they’re about to hear. We dive right into “Queen of Hearts,” a song I heard first at Lollapalooza 2010, among other songs the band has played live over the past couple months including “Nothing’s In The Flowers” and “Gorgeous/Grotesque.” Company of Thieves must feel the same way about the aforementioned songs; they’re my favorites on the album and I play them over and over and over and just can’t get enough.

Running from a Gamble, like Ordinary Riches, showcases a full range of subject and emotion. “Queen of Hearts,” “Nothing’s In The Flowers,” and “Tallulah” are light and get your toes tapping. “Death of Communication,” “King of Dreams,” “Gorgeous/Grotesque” and “Won’t Go Quietly” take on weightier topics and Genevieve’s passion boils over in the earnestness of her vocals. Only Genevieve Schatz can sing about a city’s garbage-littered streets and make it sound sexy, as seen in “Gorgeous/Grotesque.” “Won’t Go Quietly” hits me so hard that I feel like the band is playing just for me. The vocals become desperate cries and screams for attention and the quiet hum of guitars and drums in the background increase the tension until you can hardly stand it. “Take Me For A Man” holds the same passion; what a fantastic way to wrap up an album. Company of Thieves perfectly craft tension and release it into their songs. They’re masters at digging deep into not only their own souls, but into their audiences’ as well. If you’re looking for fierce passion and soul, look no further.

If you’ve never seen Company of Thieves live, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Marc absolutely shreds on guitar and is a pleasure to watch; Genevieve is one of the most awe-inspiring lead singers, you can’t look away. She dances, stomps around, bangs on her tambourine and belts the most unbelievable notes from her chest. Go see a show. Thank me later.

Track Listing:

1 Intro
2 Queen of Hearts
3 Modern Waste
4 Look Both Ways
5 Never Come Back
6 Nothing’s In The Flowers
7 Death Of Communication
8 King Of Dreams
9 Gorgeous/Grotesque
10 Syrup
11 Tallulah
12 Won’t Go Quietly

Every year I look forward to Halloween. Not because of the candy or the costumes, but because of the concerts. Every major city has a special show of some sort and you it is a pretty safe bet that the bands at that show will do something special. Thus was the case with the free Kansas City Power and Light Concert.

Opening act Company of Thieves showed Kansas City their love by dressing as characters from the popular story set in Kansas: The Wizard of Oz. They outfits were fun, so we’ll forgive them the usual “But we’re in Missouri, not Kansas” speech that so many bands passing through KC get and just appreciate their tribute. They got really into the costumes and singer Genevieve Schatz made comments, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” and “There’s no place like home,” in between songs. At one point, they even morphed one of their tunes into a cover of “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”

They were so much fun and so good. Each musician in the band had such amazing skills that I felt guilty that Genevieve’s powerful vocals commanded so much of my attention. I didn’t want to neglect focusing on anyone. The audience was dancing and while I don’t think many knew the words to songs outside of the popular radio single “Oscar Wilde,” everybody got really into this set. I must admit that after finally seeing Company of Thieves, I might have a new favorite band and a slight girl crush on Schatz. Their recorded album does not do their live show justice.

As far as I was concerned, the next act, Our Lady Peace was the evening’s headliners. There was some actual confusion about this. A local, but major band Pomeroy had the last play slot, but this seemed to be marketed as an Our Lady Peace concert. It was unfortunate because I think some people would have come out earlier had they known the line up. Although, there was still a very formidably sized crowd for the openers filled with your normal person, robots, swine flu characters and like 30 dancing penguins.

The Canadian alternative rockers in Our Lady Peace missed the memo that you were supposed to dress up on Halloween, but they still got the memo on bringing treats. Aside from a full set that surprised me with how many singles they have had over the years that I knew and knew well, they ended with a very special treat. When it approached time for the last number, “Starseed,” a special Kansas City area artist joined them on stage. David Cook of American Idol fame joined in on vocals. As if that wasn’t enough of a treat, the Company of Thieves crew ran back out and danced and jammed.

So while knowing when Our Lady Peace was scheduled to play was tricky, for those who were there got this special treat:

Our Lady Peace: website | myspace | @ troubador | interview with: Jeremy Taggart