Norfolk and indie rock. Do those two even belong in the same sentence?

The band. Photo | John Cachero

If you ask Atlanta band Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun or promoter/bartender Cary Sadauskas from Granby Street’s Hell’s Kitchen, the answer is yes.

Thursday night was Today the Moon’s fourth Norfolk show in 2009. I asked the band what draws them to Norfolk, when Richmond is right on the I-95 tour route to places including DC and Philadelphia. Singer Lauren Gibson started by simply replying, “We love it. The people are amazing.”

They first heard of Norfolk via The Boot’s website. They booked the show themselves and had no accompanying band (either tourmate or local) to support. The response was great. Sadauskas saw them there and asked them to come back and play Hell’s Kitchen, which prompted more fans and a return to The Boot in October, and again last night at Hell’s Kitchen.

Boot: your move.

Lauren says, “Everyone in this town has been so openhearted. Cary made posters. It goes a long way.” Their local fanbase in indeed supportive. There’s nothing pretentious at a Today the Moon Norfolk show. People are dancing, twirling, singing along. The band says that energy gives them more energy.

Hell’s Kitchen was stripped down and cranked up Thursday night. It’s a smaller venue than the band normally plays (they usually have crowds of 200-300), and I for one enjoyed the intimacy between band and fans. Hell’s Kitchen often offers rock-n- roll on the weekends. Largely they book local bands covering songs in the vein of what one would hear on 96X. While those nights bring in crowds, it’s nights like last night where this bar really shines.

Photo | http://www.johncachero.com/

It is loud…no, make that LOUD. I like beer on the floor, on my shoes, ears bleeding rock-n-roll and with the right band, this venue doesn’t disappoint. I’ve seen local bands play and the crowds will stay on the bar side (versus the stage side) of the building so they can hear each other talk, which creates a disconnect between audience and band I find uninteresting.

Besides, if it’s a good enough band, you don’t want to be over by the bar talking. You want eyes closed, ears open community with your dancefloor compatriots. At least I do. If I feel the need to conversate during a show, no matter how much I like elements of it, in the end, I don’t like the band. I like Today the Moon Tomorrow the Sun.

The show was like being in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, yet it was clear, not muddy. Noise would hit your ears from all angles; heavy riffs with sweet vocals.  These guys are sludgy and noisy yet pretty and dance-y at the same time. I heard elements of “Naked Eye” era Luscious Jackson, mixed with some Portishead and Breeders.

As a band, they seemed to get along off stage as well as on. Sonically and socially, they are a cohesive unit. Singer Lauren and guitar player Cregg are married. Three of the four members are born and raised in Atlanta, and the fourth (Micah) has lived there since she was a small child. They’re similar age group (27-early 30s) and don’t seem caught up in trends.

On the streets of their adopted home. Photo | http://www.johncachero.com/

When asked their biggest influences, the answers did not include other bands or musicians. They said art is one of their biggest influences, as well as simply “good fun times.” Lauren said their song “Autonomic” was inspired by a beauty school class where she was studying the nervous system. “Anything can inspire you,” she said. “From a textbook to history class—Halifax, Nova Scotia—anything can inspire.” To which Cregg chimed in with “the TV show Lost.”

I’m hoping they keep getting inspired, keep putting out great songs, and keep coming to Norfolk. They seem to have a good relationship with both The Boot and Hell’s Kitchen, and one day when they’re headlining the NorVa, I’ll be happy I saw them at those venues in my non-indie town.

Last night they were in Charlotte, NC, and continuing to tour from there. They are taking a couple of days to go home for the holidays but will be back on tour, including a New Year’s Eve show in Lexington, KY, which they said “is my fave, er, second favorite place to play. We love Norfolk.”

We love you too.