DIVISION DAY
THE REVOLVER PROJECT, LA CAVE, COSTA MESA
SATURDAY, FEB. 25
When Division Day returned to La Cave last Saturday for a second Revolver Project gig, the LA-based quartet fit so perfectly with the monthly night of art, video and music—like a tattered puzzle piece plunked into an oversized kiddie jigsaw—it felt like some secret backroom rock showcase, not a packed Saturday night at La Cave. And were it not for the overwhelming (and carnally delicious) smell of steak—or the crowd of ridiculously plastered conventioneers playing bumper cars on the dance floor—and were this a different county, paper and year, it very well could have been. Regardless, you should know: Division Day. Were. Awesome. So awesome, in fact, that they could be considered awesome awesome, deserving of far better praise than this meager college rock fan (thanks, Ziegler) could ever dish. Where I want to note my appreciation for a band that still sports button-down cowboy shirts and youth-sized thrift-store tees—I haven't changed my style in five years either, dudes—a more knowledgeable writer might instead focus on their blend of Dischord pop, or something, noting with acclaim the breakdown during the down-tempo and lush “Hurricane”: a one-off guitar riff and distortion layered over some lilting bass notes and Yacht Rock keys. Where I would like nothing more than to gush over how much guitarist Ryan Wilson resembles my current rock crush Destroyer—both with his stellar beard and his performance style—a better journalist could actually break down that performance style, maybe referencing a slight Gang of Four influence or a bit of Jim O'Rourke or somesuch coolness. And lastly, where I dug Division Day the most for unabashedly mixing my favorite things—a preference for Dismemberment Plan-style awk-rawk over the too-obvious Moving Units post-punk-white-boy funk; soft vocals from a dude who can actually sing; a drummer who looks like Dennis Wilson (pre-alcoholic downfall) and plays like him too (if Dennis Wilson were a robot with precision timing)—a real rock nerd would lay out for you why, exactly, you suck so much for missing their show. And then, with aplomb, why you should catch the band during one of their four upcoming gigs at the Echo every Monday night in March. Me? I'll just leave you with this: Division Day. Cute dudes. Good tunes. Gonna be huge. Awesome awesome.
