Arriving at Exit/In just in time to catch the last song of their set, I missed out on Ian Ferguson’s Brett Dennen-like vocals and the garage-roots rock of the Kingston Springs. Tesla Rossa was up next, channeling a plethora of influences from Ryan Adams to the Strokes in their explosive and vaguely glamorous rock product. Frontman Jason Denton is a small package, but he has a swagger and strong stage presence that commands attention. The songs had anthem appeal and were guitar-heavy, though very distinct bass parts competed with the guitars. Bassist Aaron Wahlman got further validation from a girl standing next to me who said, “I think we know this guy’s a badass” to a friend whose response was, “Uh yeah, he’s wearing moccasins.”
After Tesla Rossa, the Jompson Brothers were up, a motley and very talented crew that includes both a backwoods Buddy Holly bassist (J.T. Cure) and a bear of a lead singer (Chris Stapleton formerly of the Steeldrivers) who looks like he stumbled out of a Broadway honky tonk. They didn’t mess around, playing a forceful and Southern-fried set of hard-driving rock n roll. Show attendance had peaked at this point, and the house was pretty packed with indie onlookers in the back and boozy dancers up front. But by the time The Hollywood Ten went on, things had simmered down, though the band held their own with warbling keys, tambourine shakes and tight guitars to close the show. – Jessica Pace