As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Virginia Coalition has a new CD out that I have been listing to regularly for awhile now. It has grown to become one of my favorite CDs of the year thus far. Well we finally had a chance to hear some of these songs performed live last Friday night as the band was in town supporting The Beautiful Girls. Though VACO no longer has all of the extra percussion that we all grew to love, they do have a newer drummer that is very powerful on the kit. I’m not sure that he can fill the roles of three individuals, but I don’t think that’s what he is trying to do. This allows the other members to focus on their primary instruments (guitar, bass, keyboard) and has really tightened up the sound quite a bit. The result is a much crisper sounding show that still has loads of the energy we’ve all grown to expect.

As far as the headliner goes, I was pleasantly surprised by The Beautiful Girls. I was a little familiar with their music after recently acquiring their most resent release. In fact a few of the songs have quickly found their way into my head and I’ve found myself humming the words while sitting here at my desk. The first thing you’ll notice from this band is a striking similarity to Jack Johnson but with a little more energy. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jack but I just find some of his material and performances to be a little lackluster. Seeing the band in person draws even more Jack Johnson thoughts, as the front man of the group has a similar appearance to Mr. Johnson. The band is from Australia and is on their first major US tour. So catch them in a smaller venue while you still can.