Mere Mortals began its set with a trippy, psychedelic, Indian-influenced version of “Reverberation” before moving into a heavy rendition of “Dr. South.” “13th Floor,” sparked a rare occasion of audience members dancing to the music, and the set ended with “Jesus Trip” and some very strong applause.

Mimi continuously swayed on stage, visibly feeling the music; while Todd kept a strong and solid beat to round out the rhythm section. Derek let his musicianship speak for itself in his epic solos, while physically staying in the side-stage shadows. Axel handles the role of frontman well; he carried a clear and prominent vocal over the music and spoke just enough between songs to make a personal connection with the audience.

Furthermore, Mere Mortals was the best band of the night and should have headlined. Despite an opening slot, its fans had a marked presence and even newbies responded enthusiastically. Overall, the band sounded like it was made for a much bigger venue than The Troub, which maybe foreshadows its future.

Musicians, I am very excited to announce that you can now submit your music online for consideration for airplay on Electric Effect and/or a review in Eclectric Ink. Just click on “Submit Music” above and fill out the form.

If you are not a musician, but you know of one that I should feature, please direct them to this site.

Sibling bands have a history of success in the music industry and I predict The Abdomen will be no different. Hailing from Minnesota, The Abdomen is brothers Jake Abdo (21) and Matt Abdo (20), with their younger sister, Mari Abdo (17). Their music is feel-good, pop-rock with catchy melodies and sweet harmonies. However, do not confuse that description with the bubble-gum pop in which so many sibling bands get stuck. The Abdomen’s music may be catchy, but it’s complex and real. Each track has an underlying emotion bubbling close enough to the top that you can reach in and touch it.

On “This Time” Jake takes the lead vocals; his sound the rawness of a wounded man dealing with the demons of a past relationship while trying to move forward. In “Recklessly,” his voice emanates the hope of the unknown. He pleads you to “hold onto him” and escape with such conviction that you trust him and feel like together you can conquer the impossible.

Mari takes the lead vocal on the majority of the songs. Her angelic voice brims with hopeful innocence, despite her lyrics showing maturity beyond her years. Not only is the very talented Mari a wicked girl drummer, but she also has a boho-chic sense of style all her own. It is a style that I wouldn’t be surprised to see many of her younger female fans trying to emulate.

While Matt takes more of a background role in the vocal department, he is the most diverse instrumentalist. His piano on “Summer Rain” is beautiful and I would argue his work on the B-3 organ in “Recklessly” and “It’s Over Again” can stand up to that of Benmont Tench from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. On “Incomplete (Heartbreaker),” Matt does double-duty on piano and B-3, both of which sound effortlessly perfect.

If you like Wilco, The Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo, you will like Jeff Caudill. On his album, Here’s What You Should Do, Jeff tells you his story of life, love and one man’s journey of making his way through the music world. Jeff’s music can mainly be classified as Americana; however, some songs feature more of a rock edge and others highlight a country feel with prominent slide guitars and harmonica. His sound and lyrics are relatable and you cannot help tapping along on your car’s steering wheel while listening to most of the tracks.
Even though Jeff recorded the album in several places around the Southern California area, which could impose a different feel on each song, the tracks flow evenly, making the album a cohesive unit. The vocals are always nicely on top of the mix and never drowned out by the many backing instruments, most of which Jeff played himself.
Aside from his blend of Americana Indie Rock, Jeff shows his vulnerable side on “I Just Disappear,” and compliments his emotions with a nice flange effect throughout. The album ends with the acoustic version of “Getaway Car,” demonstrating how both the composition and Jeff’s chops as an artist still stand strongly when stripped down. I think I might even like acoustic version better, as it has a piano accompaniment that slightly tugged on my heartstrings.
To purchase Here’s What You Should Do or find out where the active Jeff is playing next, visit www.jeffcaudill.com or www.myspace.com/jeffcaudill.