I was there. It was generally very good. Bronze Float opened - I believe they're a fairly new local band. I saw them in August and, while they were good then, they've really improved alot. They sounded great and really have some potential.

Deer Tick were next and, frankly, I think they stole the show. I saw them at Big Car a couple years ago and was impressed then. The band is much, much tighter now, the songs are better and their stage presence is outstanding. Singer/guitarist, John McCauley, is not only an excellent songwriter, he is absolutely hilarious too. His off-kilter banter left some of the crowd confused, but man, I was dying. You would think that it would be distracting from the music but somehow, strangely, it felt perfect.

Cryptacize played next and their music didn't really fit with the show so well, but they were good. Very playful songs... almost like kids songs, but with just enough edge. Kind of hard to describe.

Castanets were also good. There was a piano in the room that they played and they wanted to use it during their set; it seemed like a good idea, but it was WAY out of tune and the first four or five songs were significantly marred because of this. Eventually a few people in the crowd (myself included) encouraged them to continue without the piano. After that everything was great.

Awesome, thanks.

Quirkiness cannot beat tuning, that's for sure. I'll check out some more Deer Tick.