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Analog Missionary Local Bands Splash!
Music review by
Nick Rupert
 | | Analog Missionary @ New York Nicks |
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Nick Rupert
Music/Entertainment
A few weeks ago I attended a live music show at the American Legion Hall billed as the “Local Rock Summit.”
Other than standout performances from Disposition Of and regional favorites Guff, the 15-band show was lackluster, primarily featuring underwhelming young pop-punk bands.
Fortunately, I ventured to downtown Pensacola the following weekend to watch the band Analog Missionary, and have since renewed my faith in the local music scene.
The venue was New York Nick’s, a popular sports bar located on South Palafox St. Their menu boasts a wide variety of items, including an assortment of appetizers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, seafood, quesadillas, salads, and even clam chowder.
Unlike some similar establishments, Nick’s serves their fare late into the night, and like any good sports bar, they have an ample beer supply.
By 10:20 p.m., Analog Missionary had already taken the stage in front of a dense and enthusiastic crowd. One of the first things I realized was that this was not a loud band. Their drummer, The Mark, used a mellower set of electronic drums and cymbals that were run through the band’s P.A. In effect, the other musicians never had to crank up their amps to compete for volume. The result was a full-bodied sound that filled out the room without being ear-piercing.
Fronting Analog Missionary was female lead singer Anstrom. She showed tremendous vocal range and dynamics, her voice part Amy Lee, part Jewel, part Sarah McLachlan. Sporting a bare midriff, Anstrom also spontaneously broke into dance throughout the night whenever a certain song struck her fancy. Out of context, her jerky, erratic dancing may have seemed downright awkward, but somehow it made sense in the band, and kept the stage alive with motion.
Tony Novak split duties, sometimes delivering busy bass lines, sometimes adding atmospheric candy with his keyboard, and sometimes trying to do both. He and Kevin Kaiser, lead guitarist, stood opposite each other, both with shaved heads, both with somewhat reserved on-stage personalities.
Analog Missionary was definitely not a stereotypical bar band. During the course of their set, they performed a handful of quality cover songs, all of which remained faithful to the originals. Among them were “Paint it Black” by the Stones, Led Zeppelin’s “Four Sticks,” and “Planet Telex” by Radiohead.
The band’s original material was challenging to pin down stylistically. Many of their songs had an earthy, tribal quality to them, though with an identifiable progressive edge. To be sure, their sound was not just another riff-rock assault. Instead, the band favored more subtle, slow-burning, mid-tempo arrangements.
Mark, the drummer, was able to conjure a wide palette of ethnic percussion tones from his digital drum kit. Several of Analog Missionary’s arrangements featured his somersaulting tom-tom beats overlaid with hypnotic, haunting guitar or keyboard parts. With the addition of Anstrom’s dynamic vocals and deep, cryptic lyrics, the music was refreshingly original, if not somewhat esoteric.
At one point, the group even launched into a fairly authentic Middle Eastern flavored tune. Mark switched to an acoustic doumbek drum, while Kevin was able to approximate a santur sound with one of his guitars. Anstrom even broke out some finger cymbals to add some splash to her dancing and accent the odd rhythms.
Analog Missionary offered a unique and fresh performance. If you find yourself constantly surfing radio stations, complaining that all the bands sound identical, I suggest you give this group a try. Analog Missionary will return to play at New York Nick’s at 10 p.m. on March 25th and 26th. Come have a drink, hang out with the band, and grab a copy of their latest album.
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