Too Much Rock presents the latest episode of When Good Shows Get Slighted. Sorry.
Misguided Men doesn't play out often. That's a shame. The act was three middle-aged guys (normally four) playing '90s-flavored pop-punk just for the love of it. There was a Face to Face cover. There were false harmonics. The Schecter guitar recalled Jawbox in more ways than one. The bassist's backing harmonies were flat, but his lead vocals were spot on. The drummer entertained the invested crowd between numbers. Someone let me know when the band is playing again.
The Touchdowns should play more too. There's so much history attached to this literal '90s pop-punk band with delightful power pop leanings. There were crunchy alt-rock guitars, indie rock raggedness, and a big silly guitar solo in at least one song. The audience hollered "Play the hits," and the chatty vocalist/drummer replied, "There are no hits." True, but there should be. To make up for that, the band closed with Autograph's hit "Turn Up the Radio." Without prodding or shame, the audience sang the a cappella refrain.
RxGhost plays out in spurts – often tied to readiness of its latest lead guitarist. Jen Kean is the latest such specialist. Was this her first show with the act? Her second? Midway through the set she asked the former guitarist how she was doing. Her delightful swirls got a thumbs up. The quintet played short songs of the indie rock variety – some gauzy, some lackadaisical, all thick. The band-supplied lights waxed and waned in affinity with the compositional twists and turns, while the fog machine buried the drummer in rebellion. New cuts dominated the set, with last summer's debut "Sponsored Content" serving as the night's closer. And this account's.