The Heavythin at the Hotel Utah

Whatever it looked and sounded like tonight, I’ve decided I need more of it in my life.

On the surface, it looked like just another show by The Heavythin, the first of a three-band lineup at San Francisco’s Hotel Utah. But this was subtly different from the last time I’d seen them over in Oakland. For one, I felt like I could hear them much more clearly. Maybe the soundman gods were smiling down on them. Maybe their solid performance that night wasn’t only the angry, punked-up cherry on top of the year’s worst week.

Jim, Eric, Jane and Mike did a great job tonight playing rich, funny, angular rock and roll. I could have perched on the side of the stage and listened to them play all night, if they hadn’t had to clear out and yield to following acts. If you’re smart, you’ll watch for their shows in the new year. I know I will.