I've been waiting to see Hilly Eye on stage ever since their superb EP Fireworks made it on to my Best of 2011 list. At the time of its release, singer guitarist Amy Klein called their sound "Sleater Kinney meets Lightning Bolt meets a watery bridge at the end of town.". And the album lived up to the billing with co-member drummer Catherine Tung "taking the sweet parts" and Amy doing most of the shouting.
But the band always seemed to be playing Glasslands at midnight on weeknights so I hadn't managed to see how their obstreperous punk-prog translated on stage till Saturday night, when they opened for Screaming Females.
There was no waiting for the set to settle in, by the second number, a blistering "Jersey City", Amy was wailing "You think you're so hot, you've got an appetite for destruction" and Cath was hammering the sound down and they came across like Axl's bastard step-daughters. In the rock number you can't help but hear but the Carrie Brownstein inflections in her vocals.Amy Klein is an arresting sight on stage, moving her hips in time to the music, struming chords and picking notes with her long slender fingers and too occasionally letting loose and moving across the stage in time to Cath's energetic drumming.
You probably know Amy better as multi-instrumentalist with Titus Andronicus and if you didn't you'd be more impressed with the sheer energy of Hilly Ey's live performance, if you do you might wonder why Amy is holding back on the propulsive energy she gives out with her other band. While it is true neither "Loopy" nor "Double Dutch" lend themselves to aggressive rocking, they are both quasi-ambient mood pieces with an implied folk edge: imagine the Roches being covered by Bikini Kill and stripped to the basics, other songs are blasts of energy and Amy is a little too chained to her mic. The band could use a third person.
I still loved em and I was still impressed by the bands easy going rapport with the audience,. Amy didn't let a retort to a comment about her going to visit Occupy Wall Street phase her in the slightest and a miscued song she simply blew off. You can go a long way when you can relax and be yourself on stage. Later Amy admitted it was a big gig for the band but the set was smooth, hard, fun and professional. Very good stuff.
Meanwhile, she has a third outlet for her creativity, Amy Klein And The Blue Star Band where she plays the folk flickered songs, Amy was posting on her blog last year. They've played a coupla gigs already (guess where, gwan, just guess) and the four songs ofn the FB wall are really good, especially "Fireflies" ( http://www.facebook.com/AmyKleinandtheBlueStarBand?sk=wall#!/AmyKleinandtheBlueStarBand?sk=app_108468622525037 )
If they ever get to Manhattan, be sure not miss them.
Grade: B+