Local Decibels - Comic Book Keith

Generally speaking, you don't need an extra reason to visit Newport, especially in the summer. The pubs are atmospheric, the food is top notch, the water front is beautiful and the people watching is pure comedy. Seriously, what is better than grabbing a drink with friends, taking a walk down Broadway, and feeling the caress of the breeze while you watch one drunk guy give his drunk friend a bromantic piggy back ride? Aw, making sweet memories. Anyway, the music scene is one of the big draws. There are several music fests every year, such as the Newport Jazz Festival, and there are always live bands performing at those atmospheric clubs, so you can usually count on good sounds.

Catchy f-bomb. Like NIN's "Closer"! Maybe NSFW, but just turn your speaker low and DO EET!

Standing out among the bands I've seen this summer was Comic Book Keith. I met a few friends at The Tavern on Broadway one Saturday night for the reasons listed above. They told me that the band was good, so I was perfectly content to try a new beer (I forget what it is was called, oops; however, not remembering it means it'll be new again, so, win? I digress...), crack wise and relax while the band set up. My friend Fede (shout out!) told me that the lead guitarist had recently been accepted to Berkley, so I set my expectations reasonably high and paid attention as they started their set.

Performing "Godzilla". From a different venue, because my cell's video recorder SUX.

They're essentially a five piece, alternative rock meets trippy jazz style band that performs originals. A few of their songs, like "Saturday Night", have a jazzier Cage the Elephant vibe ("It's Saturday night, so go fuck whoever you like" is the catchiest would-be-censored-on-the-radio line). "Lonely in the Mansion" mixes in a little White Stripes. Basically, the sounds are those of danceable, trippy jazz rock, which is now a thing. The crowd certainly dug it, clogging the dance floor and happily swaying to the beats. The vibe was so good that no one even minded "That Guy": the creepy middle aged dude who tried to dance with every girl young enough to be his (grand?)daughter.

...yeah.

Moving on. Comic Book Keith performed for 45 minutes or so (I'm guessing here, as it didn't feel like 45 minutes); drummer Steve Silvia, bassist Andoni Arambarri, and rhythm guitarist Stocks Paradox were a solid foundation, lead guitarist Charlie Shea impressed with his note choices and technique, and lead vocalist JP's mid-range vocal style compliments the music well. When they proclaimed that their last song of the night was "Godzilla", I thought maybe they would play the Blue Oyster Cult song. It wasn't meant to be, and instead they played what became my favorite of their originals. You know that "Wow, I liked them more than I thought I would" feeling that comes after "Wow, they don't suck" feeling? Yeah, that happened. It was a good time, and when I hear they're playing somewhere again, I'll have the "Oh, those guys are good, let's go" reaction. And I hate everything, so take that into consideration.

They have Facebook, Reverb Nation, and Soundcloud pages that I'll link below, so go blow up their message boards and listen to demos and watch live performances and give some love to good, local music.

https://www.facebook.com/comicbookkeith?ref=profile

http://www.reverbnation.com/comicbookkeith

https://soundcloud.com/comic-book-keith