Artists: Mark Sultan, Sinbusters, Squall
Date: Friday, December 2, 2011
Location: Magic Room Gallery (Brighton, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Squall (Unfortunately we missed :( )

Act II: The Sinbusters– The Sinbusters are a kickass garage inspired punk outfit from Lowell, MA. Their sets pretty much consist of balls to the wall, fun, rock and roll. Loud, noisy, but ultimately satisfying. Tonight they are a three piece: vocals/guitar, drums, keyboards. They rock pretty hard and get the stiff crowd moving at times. Nick, the lead singer, hops into the audience for a bit, whilst strumming away on his guitar. I am still getting into the band, but I really like what I hear, and they are definitely amongst the top live bands I have seen in Boston this year. They place artists such as Thee Oh Sees and Thick Shakes amongs their contemporaries, and I think that is pretty accurate. So, definitely check out The Sinbusters if you have not.

Act III: Mark Sultan– Mark Sultan is the real deal. What does that even mean? It means, there is no bullshit, what you get is real rock and roll, at least what I think is real rock and roll, and obviously I am not alone. Mark mixes it up a lot, diving through numerous styles: Doo Wop, Soul, Psychedlic, and Punk, rocking hard through all of them. Tonight he is feeling under the weather or “gonnorrhea in the throat” as he calls it, but when he sings you can hardly notice the difference, it is amazing. The Magic Room Gallery is a nice, little venue, and when he plays he looks right at home, or at least he makes everyone feel involved, often cracking jokes and encouraging the crowd to dance. Indeed, Mark plays several of his classic, danceable, rock and roll songs, many of which I hold near and dear to me. “Beautfiul Girl” from 2007’s Sultanic Verses (2007) is one of the highlights of the set, and perhaps my favorite performed live. The vocals are incredible in the studio version, but they get me pumped even more live. Some other cuts I really enjoy include “I Am the End” from $ (2010). Once again, the vocals are mind blowing, and in general I usually show people either this song or “Ten of Hearts” if I am introducing them to Mark Sultan, mainly because of the vocals. The set also includes a number of King Khan & BBQ Show tunes including everyone’s favorite “Shake Real Low,” a stellar closer for a stellar set.

I did not recognize all of the songs, but here are the ones I did, in order of album:
Tie Your Noose (2005):
“Waddlin’ Around”*
“Shake Real Low”*
“Out of Time” (The Rolling Stones)

* Also can be heard on The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004)

The Sultanic Verses (2007):
“Beautiful Girl”
“Spinning Ceiling”

The King Khan & BBQ Show- Invisible Girl (2009):
“Third Ave”
“I’ll Be Loving You”

$ (2010):
“I Am The End”
“I’ll Be Loving You”
“Nobody But You”

Grade: 8/10

Check out Mark Sultan’s two current records, Whatever I Want and Whenever I Want and/or the compilation Whatever/Whenever.

Sinbusters– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIbLYaiMFc&feature=related

Squall- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGXGZcFDeWg&feature=related