Saturday, April 6: Gems

The New Frontier Lounge

By Rev. Adam McKinney on April 3, 2013

Gems will be releasing their new 12", Tall Mountain, on Saturday. While they sound good on record, the best way to take in Gems is to see the band live. Made up of two DJs and two drummers, it manages to pull off the neat trick of the two-drummer band better than most. Instead of essentially canceling each other out in a bid for loudest band of the night, these two drummers lend a fascinating interplay to the proceedings that is hypnotic to behold. One will hold down the backbeat while the other adds color and flourish, then they'll switch, creating a swirling double helix of textures and sounds. Add on top of that electronica that spends equal time chilling out as it does on the dance floor, and Gems becomes a unique entity that dazzles in a live setting. 

THE NEW FRONTIER LOUNGE, W/ I LIKE SCIENCE, SANTEE, 9:30 P.M., $5, 301 E. 25TH ST., TACOMA, 253.572.4020