Rogue Wave
The Parish, Jan. 25
Not even the damp, clingy air could keep Rogue Wave from selling out the Parish on Friday night. Los Angeles quartet Midnight Movies barely made it to the show on time, having zigged when they should’ve zagged on the way in from El Paso. They rocked a Lush-meets-Siouxsie sexy dark alt-rock vibe from the early 1990s nevertheless, throwing in an earnest cover of the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin” – complete with rock & roll flute! – for good measure. Oakland, Calif., outfit Rogue Wave then made good on the ticket sales. Frontman Zach Rogue resembles your favorite summer-camp counselor: affable, nonthreatening, and a bit randy. He accompanied songs on the order of “Like I Needed,” from the band’s latest and most accomplished LP, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, with liberal hand gestures and led the band through an intense instrumental intro to “Sewn Up.” The 90-minute set’s high point came with the more languid, reverb-heavy “Bird on a Wire,” which culminated in a five-man drum circle that lasted a blissful eternity before segueing into the gorgeous “Lake Michigan,” a Heaven’s Gate highlight. After wrapping up with new LP opener “Harmonium,” Rogue came out for two acoustic bits, “Eyes” and “California.” The band rejoined him for another pair of numbers, ending with a simply unrecognizable Neil Young tune that had certain fogies scratching their heads. It rocked, though, and that’s all that matters on a Friday night.
This article appears in February 1 • 2008.