Vintage Kicks & Levee Drivers Welcome the Darkness at JB’s March 1

“Do you welcome the darkness?” is one of the lines in “Jetty Jump” off the album King Geek from Philly-based pop-punk outfit Vintage Kicks. Their music, at first listen, sounds heavy and somewhat cluttered as if there may be too much going on. However, the clutter isn’t a mess; it’s the result of the complexity of a bunch of pieces that are not half-hazardly thrown together. Rather, these segments are the building blocks created by the band’s influences. The edgy simplified garage-rock feel of the White Stripes meets easy groove of the Ventures and Weezer. Throw in raw emotional vocals of lead-singer Alex Marlys and a spacey neo-psychedelic touch, this group conjures up something that listeners can appreciate. Levee Drivers are a country-blues act that you should be familiar with in these here parts. Their songs are heavily expressive and almost menacing in the vein of Johnny Cash, but there is a distinct grunge element that pushes the music forward and creates an energetic rough edge that surely makes them the type of band that can captivate an audience in a live setting. Both acts will be opening for Belgian garage/blues rock duo The Black Box Revelation. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita