The Rogers Sisters
Club de Ville, Thursday, March 16
This herky-jerk avant-pop trio from Brooklyn is one of many New York bands plundering the past for mod grist, emerging with Railroad Jerk-style sharp right turns, some New Wavey B-52’s girl/boy vocals, and a rumbling patina of surf-trash guitar. Their just-released The Invisible Deck packs a buzz that doesn’t crumble under the weight of derivation. What ultimately delineates the Rogers Sisters is the tastefully nuanced way they pull their influences together, which isn’t surprising for a couple of bar-owning sisters allegedly armed with one of their borough’s best jukeboxes. Virtually all of the trio’s animation at Thursday’s showcase set came from oft-distorted bassist Miyuki Furtado, who bobbed and bounced about the stage as guitarist Jennifer and drummer Laura Rogers maintained an almost stoic reserve. The latter’s percussive style may have been the Rogers Sisters’ most distinctive element. She plays the floor tom like most rock drummers work the hi-hat, setting the band up for a high appointment in the tribe of Hugo Burnham. The outward contrast between Furtado and the sisters made you wonder how the three got together. Yet even if the sisters aren’t particularly playful onstage, the slippery darting and weaving of songs like “Never Learn to Cry” and “Your Littlest World” made for a fun, engaging listen.This article appears in March 17 • 2006.
