Toads and Mice/Beep Beep/The Show Is The Rainbow/The Happy Planets @ South Park Tavern 4.11.09

...we've been very fortunate over the last few months to come in contact with some great touring bands through The Buddha Den. In many cases, we've been able to arrange tour stops in Dayton. Last night at South Park Tavern was another great example. Opening the evening, The Happy Planets and his unwavering belief in the possibilities of making it happen in Dayton got the party off on a supergood foot, despite some early jabs at fellow Daytonian bands. Next up, The Show Is The Rainbow kicked off an Omaha-to-Dayton double dose and delivered an utterly uncompromising multimedia set that found him dancing and jumping through the audience, standing on tables, and ultimately giving a performance that, whether people liked it or not, they will never forget. Next up was the Omaha quartet Beep Beep who, along with The Show Is The Rainbow, are out on an extended tour in support of their Enchanted Islands album. Despite issues with PA feedback, the band overcame a typically difficult Dayton audience with a set filled with wicked humor, twisted guitar work, and an undeniably danceable rhythm section. Closing out the evening, Toads and Mice offered up incontrovertible evidence to the claim we've been making for quite some time now that they are one of the best bands currently working out of the Gem City. Armed with several new songs that are slated for their next release, T&M are moving in a decidedly more aggro direction, more fully cultivating their obvious love of Chicago punk in the vein of Touch & Go Records' heyday. We couldn't be more pleased...