Denver is a long way from New York — 1,779 miles to be exact — but that doesn’t mean it has to be the relative we never visit. All this week we’ll have news and updates from the annual in the Big Apple, where a few of our local friends are playing/partying/eating real deli sandwiches as we speak.
Taking the stage at the on the opening night of the 30th annual CMJ Music Marathon, Brooklyn-by-way-of-Phoenix psych-popsters were truly on the money. They may have looked like a group of gangly teens, though they sounded like seasoned vets.
In fact, the only real miscue from the Miniature Tigers may have been in the fashion department. Sporting a felt jacket that resembled a consummation of a red hooded sweatshirt and Jack Skellington’s face, MT’s Charlie Brand resembled an oafy teenager prone to acne and NRBs (no-reason-boners).
Musically, however, the group was on point — no question. The four-piece opened with the summer-y, “Tropical Birds,” providing a brief escape from the sudden onslaught of cold weather in New York, and continued their seven-song set with a number of songs from their sophomore release, “Fortress.”
One of the most dynamic parts of their performance was their collective versatility. The group changed timbres at the drop of a hat and could seemingly perform on a carousel, with band members rotating from drums to synth to guitar to rainstick (yes, rainstick) with serious fluidity.
Coming off of their tour with Neon Indian, Miniature Tigers has been gaining a lot of hype. Featured on more than one “bands-to-watch” list over the past few months, the boys from Phoenix definitely have a lot to live up to. But if this performance was any sort of indication of their future then watch out — these tigers have claws.
Follow Reverb on Twitter! ! Foursquare, too!
Robby Corrado is a regular contributor to and a new contributor to .
