If, like those Mayans said, the world is gonna end on December 21, then what better way to spend the final night than rockin' out with Prince Rama?
Cranking out tunes from Top Ten Hits Of The End Of The World, out now on Paw Tracks, Prince Rama brought their act to D.C.'s Comet Ping Pong.
First up was D.C.'s amazing Heavy Breathing. I didn't know much about this band in advance but I consider myself a fan now. Loud stopmers mixed with psychedelic flourishes, the tunes by Heavy Breathing consistently tore the roof off the place. Using mostly samples for the vocal bits, I can't say that Heavy Breathing need a singer. The sound is big enough and decidedly original -- at least it's original in the mix of elements.
I can't even think of a band to compare these folks to. There are bits and pieces of dozens of other worthy acts here, as well as something crazy and wonderful.
Next up was Prince Rama. Now it's worth mentioning that Prince Rama was actually the first act of the night as their "Exorcise" segment preceded the opening act.
Prince Rama delivered a solid, if too short, set, with most of the cuts coming from their Top Ten Hits Of The End Of The World, out now on Paw Tracks.
By the time the band worked its way into the crowd -- complete with a bit of Vedder-like crowd-surfing -- it had turned into something more than a concert. By involving the audience so thoroughly in the program, Prince Rama had managed to do something beyond just simple rock. This was part-performance, and part-spectacle, the rock experience turned into something spiritual...or at least the approximation of something spiritual.
It was all very meta. What we were watching was not something trascendent like a real religious spectacle but rather a simulation of one.
And sometimes that's enough.
Prince Rama create an experience, and for that I urge you to see them live. If the album has a sound that's almost impossible to entirely replicate perfectly live, it at least allows space for inventiveness on stage.
Follow Prince Rama on their Facebook page.
Or on their official Tumblr page:
http://princerama.tumblr.com/
Follow Heavy Breathing on their Facebook page.