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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > November > 09 > Entry
Fun Fun Fun Fest review: Harlem
Not often will you find a band that can make a better case than Harlem does for making “sloppy” a creative objective.
Who knows if the Austin three piece actively works at futzing up its devil-may-care Kinks/Kingsmen/pick a “Nuggets”-era band brand of rock, but if that’s the case then “Bravo!” on them for carrying it off like they did Sunday at Fun Fun Fun Fest.
From the fearsome start of “Witch Greens” on, Harlemites Michael Coomers and Curtis O’Mara (co-vocalists who switch between guitars and drums at the half-show point) and bassist Jose Boyer carried a loose but measured swing through their distorted almost-punk that suggests there’s a firm foundation underneath it all. Boyer’s recent addition seems to have helped considerably, as evidenced by the fact that they hardly ever have to start a song two or three times anymore before they get it right.
That certainty let the band focus on showcasing its subtler charms, namely Commers’ lax sense of humor that was no doubt helped by an abundance of beer and liquor up on stage and the Valium he claimed to have swallowed earlier in the day. Whatever was at play, it all worked to plan or at least as much as these three can be bothered to put one together.
“What’ll the bloggers say about this?” Coomers sarcastically asked early on, in a nod to Harlem’s indie-as-hell Web-friendly archetype. Well Michael, this one thought it all sounded pretty freakin’ great.
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