Ramona Falls + Brain Bonz - Great Scott (Boston, MA; Sep. 15, 2009)

Ramona Falls‘ debut album Intuit is an airily beautiful collection of songs that grow on you. The tunes start softly, build gently, and lean more heavily on the “indie” than on the “rock” side of the genre. The band is the brainchild of Menomena‘s Brent Knopf—less a side project than a simultaneous project—and Intuit follows the sonic lead set by Menomena’s loopy, ambling melodies. Tuesday night’s show at Great Scott in Allston took that music, cranked the volume, and blew it up.

The night started with a set from Brian Bonz, the lead singer of Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs. Flying solo (since the rest of the band has “real jobs”), Bonz played an acoustic set to warm up the crowd. His singing voice is surprisingly dulcet, given his scratchy, almost gruff speaking voice. To offset the saccharine vocals, Bonz utilized drop tunings on his guitar, doubling up low notes and balancing the mix well. Highlights of the set included “Kid Shit,” “July and the Alpha Queen,” and a cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Superconnected,” plus a heaping share of witty repartee. It’s always a great bonus when the opener is worth tuning in for.

Ramona Falls’ set also started solo, with Knopf setting up behind his piano on a stage bathed in blue. He opened with “Diamond Shovel,” a slow and quiet song that sounded very much in keeping with the aforementioned Intuit. Knopf’s voice is even more startling in person than on record: he’s a surprisingly good singer, and it’s easy to forget how much these songs revolve around his vocals. Indeed, it was clear throughout the night that Knopf serves as the focal point of the ensemble, centered on the stage and dictating the pace of the action.

The rest of the band should not be forgotten, however, and deserves much of the credit for the musical melee that followed Knopf’s solo opener. Upon taking the stage, drummer and ball of energy Paul Alcott announced Ramona Falls’ intention to “rock the fuck out,” soliciting anybody in Great Scott who was “interested in rocking the fuck out” to join them. Almost immediately, the band jumped into a high energy take on lead single “Russia,” crisp drums and raucous guitars leading the way. Hot on the heels of that tune were “I Say Fever” and “The Darkest Day,” transformed into good old fashioned rock songs by the quartet on stage.

“Good old fashioned rock songs” does not do justice to Ramona Falls, however, as the songs are much more multi-dimensional than that term might suggest. Tuesday night’s show revealed a new dimension of Intuit, yes, but it managed to do so without destroying the underlying complexities of the songs. This fact owes much to Brent Knopf and his keyboard; it is abundantly clear that Knopf is a pianist. He is not one of these lead singers that wanted an instrument and consequently learned to mash some keys. The melodies belted out by the ivories highlight Ramona Falls’ songs, and Knopf plays them deftly and intently. He saves the band from the ordinary. His presence and direction suggest that Ramona Falls has more noise to make.

Smack in the middle of Ramona Falls’ set lay a three-song run that struck all the chords that made the concert memorable. It started innocuously enough, with three band members silencing their instruments to focus on Knopf’s piano. He obliged them, playing “Boy Ant,” a brief but beautiful interlude that resembles some long lost Christmas carol. That tune segued into a full-band version of “Going Once, Going Twice,” with a throbbing beat to match the pulse of the transfixed audience. The sonic triptych ended with “Salt Sack,” which was given an extra jolt with the addition of a trumpet player. Throughout this run, not a single note landed poorly. The band sounded natural and cohesive, songs flowing into one another as the musicians concentrated on bringing the songs to life. The more I think about this run, this show, this band, the more I am impressed .

Brian Bonz, during his opener, noted the brilliance of Tuesday night concerts. “People have work, tests, beef with people on the street,” he said, “but you come into Great Scott and you shake that shit off!” Ramona Falls made the most of that vibe and enveloped the crowd in music, rocking like it was the only important thing in the world.

Ramona Falls Setlist:

01—Diamond Shovel
02—Russia
03—I Say Fever
04—The Darkest Day
05—Bellyfulla
06—Boy Ant
07—Going Once, Going Twice
08—Salt Sack (w/ Horn)
09—Always Right
10—Clover
11—Melectric

DOWNLOAD: Ramona Falls - Russia (MP3) or Follow us for more Ramona Falls MP3s (Twitter)

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