Temper

January 27, 2007 (Somerville, MA) - Tonight is the 20th Anniversary Party for WAAF DJ Carmelita, whose Sunday night radio show, Bay State Rock, has long been the touchstone for many a local rock lover in Massachusetts. The Abbey is decked out with food, cake and balloons and the atmosphere is in full-on party mode. Carmelita herself is in attendence as hostess, resplendent in a smoking leather biker jacket with scuffs and creases any teenager would kill to show off, and her manic energy is infectious as she roams the room hugging old friends, making introductions and handing out drink tickets.

For this history-making bill, the kick-ass queen of local rock radio has invited a blend of hot new acts (Hooray for Earth) and respected veterans of the Boston music scene (even Springa as emcee), several of whom (The Outlets, The Moving Targets) have re-grouped original line-ups especially for the occasion.

Temper starts things off early on the Abbey Pub Stage. Appropriately enough, this four-piece band is a blend of the “new” and the “veteran” and as their set begins, band leader Pete Sutton (definitely a Boston rock veteran) cracks a joke about the median age level in the room. It’s his way of warning the young people in attendance that they may not recognize the first tune, an easy, breezy rendition of Traffic’s 1971 “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys.” It’s a great way to start off the set, which meanders from the well-played Steve Winwood classic to a full set of tunes Winwood wishes he wrote.
Though the primary songwriter, Pete sticks mostly to bass duties, only contributing back-up vocals occasionally. Instead, the primary singing is left to keyboard player Carlene Barous (ex-Din) and guitarist Skyla Fay. With their distinctly different voices snaking around intricate keyboards and the light finesse of drummer Nancy Delaney, Temper delivers a fluid kind of progessive, dreamy jam. Though there are a few surprises, they pull mostly from their newly released debut, Hang By Your Own Tail. It’s a subtle yet sophisticated sound, gorgeous to listen to and yet totally memorable.
A standout is “The Wave,” a serene sail on a quiet piano-driven sea that bobs gently over a subtle bass line and even gentler, almost comforting, drums. “Wee Regret” introduces a device Temper goes back to again and again to great effect — layered vocal harmonies singing “oohs” and “aahs” and “la la la’s”. That’s always a bold move in a small venue with no sound engineer, where singers can’t always hear themselves well enough to pull off tight harmony, but on “Wee Regret” and the several other harmony-driven dreamscapes, this band doesn’t miss a note. At times the languid, atmospheric wash brings to mind alternative low-key acts such as Air or some Massive Attack, but at others, such as on the beautfiul “Aquamarine,” a bigger pop sound is introduced. “Aquamarine” is marked by a bouncier rhythm and totally irrestistible chorus you’ll be singing for a week after one listen. Even more irresistibly gorgeous are the dual vocal lines of the lower-pitched Carlene and sweet, high tones of Skyla. When they invite you dreamily to “Sail out to sea…serene…” you can’t help but follow them into the Aquamarine.