On March 20th, at Eyeclops Studios in downtown Fredericksburg, dozens of local teens gathered for the monthly Fredericksburg All Ages show.  The evening was a showcase for four of the best young local acts in Fredericksburg.  First to take the stage was In Bocca al Lupo, a moniker for a solo acoustic act from Fredericksburg who lays low, monotone vocals reminiscent of Stevin Merrit over light acoustic strumming.   With lyrics invoking images in nature, In Bocca al Lupo follows in the veins of singer songwriters like Nick Drake or Elliot Smith.  His soft strumming created a beautiful sparse sound that echoed throughout Eyeclops.  Lyrically In Bocca al Lupo set off the tone for what was going to be a night of youthful anxiety, juxtapositioned gracefully over sparse guitar.  “Smile like you mean it, that grin is not deceiving” cooed In Bocca al Lupo, repeating the phrase with an earnestness that was undeniable.

Next up was Dilemma Uncovered, a three piece band from Orange, VA.  With ambitious orchestration, the group reached beyond typical power pop rock, and showed hints of more atmospheric rock bands, like Explosions in the Sky.  The powerful orchestration was accentuated with back and forth vocals from guitarist Chris Manns and bassist Ben Highlander.  The bands earnest angsty lyrics of love and teenage frustration easily connected with their young peers at Eyeclops.  Some songs were works in process, forcing Chris to read lyrics scrawled up his arm, but the band pulled off the transitions smoothly.   One of the nights highlights was the drumming of Dom Manns.  With a sound that varied from stomping rock ballads, to complicated rockabilly like breakdowns, to some pretty serious technical drumming.

The band also said that this was their first time using prerecorded piano parts in their live show, an ambitious move that they pulled off flawlessly, showing how full and epic their sound has the potential to be.   It was nice to see a band striving for an epic, anathematic sound so early in their time playing together, showing promise for future shows.  During the end of their set a second guitarist joined them onstage, and delivered a few soaring riffs that accentuated the bands technical prowess.  With so many bands attempting to be understated or overly nonchalant with their music, it was refreshing to see young musicians attempting to make soaring rock anthems.

Jaguar Shark was up next, a four piece punk band from Fredericksburg.  Janus C, lead guitarist and vocalist was donned with what seemed to be blue face paint and a sleeveless Cure muscle tee shirt.  Like most young punk bands, what they lacked in technical prowess, they made up for with a ruckus live act.  The set was littered distorted guitars and guttural angst ridden lyrics.  As the band played the crowd passed around a large inflatable shark painted in jaguar spots, while other members of the audience blew bubbles that floated up past the stage.  Throughout their set Jaguar Shark, did what young punks do best, in being loud and unapologetic with their racing, riotous short songs.  They showed variance with typical punk styling’s by littering their songs with stomping breakdowns, and rolling rockabilly guitar licks that combined punk styling’s of Social Distortion with the southern instrumentation of a band like ZZ Top.  Halfway through the seat front man Janus C told the crowd “This is all going to end….very, very badly”,   and while the set was great, it just shows how volatile, exciting, and unexpected a young punk band can be.

Headlining the evening was Carlos I’m Pregnant, a four piece band from Fredericksburg that have been kicking around the local scene for over three years now.  The set began with a fog machine filling the small venue, completely engulfing the band, leading to a dramatic start as the band begun to play.  Carlos I’m Pregnant has been one of the most prominent alternative bands in Fredericksburg over the last few years, perfecting their understated yet powerful sound.  Reminiscent of bands like Nightmare of You, and other post ironic bands influenced by mid 90’s alternative, Carlos brought a fresh professional sound to Eyeclpos, and the audience responded immediately to the bands sound. 

Lead vocalist Ben, sounding slightly like Gordon Gano, is quiet and understated, allowing the songs arrangements to take precedent.  With intricate melodies that allow for ample buildups, leading to beautiful climaxes, the band creates a great atmosphere.  With their great set at Eyeclops, Carlos I’m Pregnant cemented their status as one of Fredericksburg’s best indie rock bands around.   Once again Fredericksburg All Ages and Eyeclops Studios put on a great show that allows local young talent to take the stage.  As kids were filing out at the end of the show discussions and posters for next month’s show were everywhere, continuing the tradition of live music for everyone in downtown.

By Author: John Hart

John Hart was born in Arlington, Virginia in 1986.  Since purchasing his first CD at the age of seven (Coolyhighharmony, Boyz II Men), John has had a love affair with all things music.  After two failed attempts at a young age to play the piano, John engulfed himself in listing to, discussing, and enjoying all types of music.  Making the trip across the Potomac was easy, and so from his early teens on, John spent as much time as possible in Washington DC taking in live shows.  He attended the University of Mary Washington where he co-hosted the show "Title Track" for WMWC.  Currently John is working and taking classes in Fredericksburg.