A Pleasant Surprise

Well, I went to Ajit's show at the Velvet Lounge last night. And, as usual, he did great. He's getting progressively better - which, I suppose, is better than becoming progressively worse. He was undoubtedly aided by the acoustics of the Velvet Lounge, which are immeasurably superior to those of his usual venues.

But, the real surprise of the night was the band that played after him - The Silent Years. From the nervous introduction from the band's lead singer, I thought these guys were going to bomb. Not so. For the next 40 minutes or so, they tore through their repertoire of fun and energetic pop-rock, even getting the crowd involved (I was given a tamborine with Prince's symbol on it, which I shook vigorously). Only one dud in the set - the postmodern "Sharks," which I didn't "get" (maybe I'm too old). My favorite song was their opener, "No Secrets" - which happens to sound like the Killers' "On Top." (I hope the Killers don't go after them.)

Out of a best of 5, I give them 3 1/2 grillz. Check out their schedule - totally worth seeing if they're in your city...