Words & Photos by Meg West
Pop Break Live: Twin Peaks at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ – June 7, 2017
Twin Peaks (the band not the show) came to The Stone Pony on Wednesday June took up the whole length of the stage. When member Colin Croom isn’t playing keys, the band is made up of drums, bass, and three guitars, creating a twangy, full sound more reminiscent of ’70s rock than you might expect, given their onstage air of adolescence.
The Chicago band is young, loose, and happy—they drink beer on stage, flop around, and look like they are doing exactly what they want to be—a state more fun to watch than the general cool apathy that some performers adopt.
At one point, guitarist-vocalist Clay Frankel asked joyously, “What do you want to hear?” then laughed at the deep-cut request he said he didn’t remember how to play. The band balances every drunk-at-a-high-school-party mannerism with a tight sound—their group vocals, keys, and Tom Petty-style guitar lines set them apart from their genre.
Be sure to check out the groups “Sweet ’17 Singles,” two singles released every month this summer while the band tours, available online and on a limited run of 7” vinyl.