Last Friday night I had the pleasure of seeing Sea Ray, Metric, and The Stills at Bridy's on Indianapolis' north side. After a "sell-out" scare from Ticket Bastard we were relieved when we went early and found out that there were plenty of tickets at the door. I find this happens often at Indie shows. You have to get their early if you want a ticket. D.I.Y. apparently stands for tickets as well. No problem, all the better in my opinion. This one show I am very glad I got to see. It is a rare thing when you can get three high quality bands to perform on the same night at a small venue.

The evening started off with Sea Ray, a six piece outfit from Brooklyn, NY. Sea Ray uses lush soundscapes and driving beats to fuel their music. With 2 guitars, bass, keys, drums, and a cello, it's not that hard. In fact the cello adds a flavor to the mix that helps define their sound. In a day in age when most of the Indie scene is on the lo-fi garage minimalist bandwagon, it is nice to see something fresh like this. The track "Quiver" off of their new album Stars at Noon was exceptionally good. I have not heard the disc yet, but after seeing them live, it is next on my list to pick up. Sea Ray provided a great start to a great evening.

The next band to hit the stage was Metric. A Brooklyn based band hailing from Canada, Metric has earned a place in many Indie lover's hearts recently with the LP Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?. Playing a high energy, great sounding set, they rocked the entire audience. Clad in an all black mini-dress/ underwear combo, Emily Haines has a stage presence that can rival even the likes of Chrissie Hynde. With her anthemic singing and robotic dance moves she becomes the show. Not to discredit the rest of the band. The tightness of the sound goes along way to make Emily's antics an addition not a distraction. Songs like "I.O.U" and "Combat Baby" topped the night, but their entire set was stellar. Stepping up the energy from Sea Ray, they paved the way for headlines The Stills.

Sea Ray and Metric were both tough acts to follow, but The Stills managed without a problem. Another Canadian band, The Stills are on tour to support their stellar LP "Logic Will Break Your Heart". When I first heard the title I was kind of weary because of the title similarity to Wilco's "I Am Trying to Beak Your Heart", but I quickly got over that. The Stills put on a great show in support of their even-better music. More low-key in stage presence department than Metric then still keep you entertained. The light show through the entire concert was very cool. I consisted of a projector showing clips and animations over the band and backdrop while minimal stage lighting was used, a very cool effect. When the music ended and the lights came up I was sad to see it end. This was one of the best concerts I have seen in a while. Three solid bands together equal one great show. Highly Recommended.

Byron Schaller maintains his own blog In The Congo as well as contributing to Blog Critics and Delicious Media. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana and tries to keep tabs on the Midwest concert scene.