De Novo Dahl/Tally Hall/Carolina Liar/Stone the Mayor Sheriffs @ Pearl 5.28.08

...arriving a bit late and not realizing that a fourth band had been added to the bill at Pearl on this evening, we unfortunately completely missed the set by locals Stone the Mayor Sheriffs. Instead, the first band we witnessed on this night was Carolina Liar, a band who earlier in the day had their video featured on MTV's TRL program. We had our suspicions that many in the audience had caught that performance and rushed down to see the band perform. No worries, the band sounded great and had plenty of enthusiasm to spare. Decked out in Boy Scout uniforms, the Caronlina Liar's soaring, brooding pop seemed destined to flood the airwaves in the coming months. Keep an eye out for these guys...



...as the changeover between bands wrapped up and the sharp-dressed gentlemen of Ann Arbor's Tally Hall took the stage, we could not have been more shocked with what came next. Out of the silence emerged a song that everyone in the club new instantly: it was the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic, Freebird. No, not some ironic reworking of the song. It was a note-for-note rendition, served up with sincerity. For our money, this was a remarkable display and one we aren't likely to witness any time soon. As Tally Hall plowed into their own tunes, the band's quirky powerpop stood out as their impeccable harmonies and inventive arrangements continued to surprise at every turn. With the band poised for an appearance at Lollapalooza this summer, it was certainly a treat to have them in Dayton for an evening...



...capping off the evening, De Novo Dahl delivered yet again in Dayton, as both band and audience were whisked away on a wave of sheer exuberance. As the band rolled from blistering dance numbers to slow, grinding funk, the kids just kept on dancing and giving back to the band as much as they received. As can often happen at Pearl, the boundaries between band and audience were completely erased and as the one became the other, the joy of this evening was apparent on the faces of all...