Friday night the Bottleneck hosted one of the most exciting and memorable shows of the years. Since Billy Wassung of both Billy the Squirrel and Sonic Sutra is moving to St. Louis, it may be a long time before anyone in Lawrence hears from two of the town's best local bands again. With that in mind a crowd of dedicated fans and followers of both bands filled the Bottleneck to get one last night of brilliant music.
Billy Squirrel opened the show with it's special style of funky bluegrass. The combination of a mandolin, acoustic guitar and banjo in harmony with an electric bass, keyboard and drums, creates a really surreal blend of sounds. The band's psychedelic solos, and harmonic vocals make every song entirely different and original. The only band that could follow this act was Sonic Sutra.
With not just one but two sets, Sonic Sutra completed the night with some of their best hits, satisfying the crowd with hypnotic jams that make the band's shows so epic. From beginning to end of both sets the dance floor was packed with excited fans getting down to every song. The guitar, and keys' intricate melodies, pumped up by the bass and drums' beats, with the vocal harmonies took the audience to a rare, wonderful level of energy. Dancers let themselves go, and fans cheered and waved at the end of every hit song. When the second set finished, it was a perfect end of a wild party, leaving everyone smiling.
It's a huge loss to the local music scene to see both these great bands go for the time being, but there is hope that they can reunite again when Billy comes back to town to visit. This reviewer will make sure to catch them any time they play again.
Tonight: Vibesquad at the Granada, Electric Theory at the Jackpot, and Split Lip Rayfield at either the Replay or the Bottleneck - not sure on the last one. It's a tough choice, but if you have the cash and the energy you can make it between shows and see some of everything. Whatever you do, have fun and be safe!
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