CONCERT REVIEW: The Montgomery Cliffs, Fletcher's, Baltimore, MD

- Bill Holmes

In an age where so many things are jammed down your throat via mass-marketing and multi-million dollar advertising tie-ins, it's refreshing to have something sneak up and take you out at the knees just because it's great. Thank you, Montgomery Cliffs, for the sucker punch!

The Cliffs are a three-piece from New York who play tight, catchy three minute songs with incredible energy and wit. Their track on the Three Minute Revolution compilation was a standout, and their debut record Andiamo! (115 Records) is more of the same; imagine a band with the pop sensibilities of The Smithereens but the power of The Attractions or The Jam. Recorded on the legendary shoestring budget in less than ideal conditions, Andiamo! is a textbook example of why songs, not production tricks, are the essence of greatness. I drove to Baltimore faster than the bullet train with high expectations, usually not a great combination.

Fletcher's is your typical big city rock club; small and hot yet somehow boasting a legion of "name" acts on a daily basis. Playing the role of the meat in a three-band sandwich is not fun (the first band's gear is set at soundcheck, and the closer gets the crowd at its most primed) but The Cliffs were there to get in and kick ass regardless. Lead singer/bassist Joey Salvia has a small ponytail wafting off the back of his otherwise shaved head; guitarist Wayne Thomas Kurz and drummer Dennis Carollo look docile by comparison. Dressed in suits and skinny ties, the crowd wonders whether they're about to see a major league act or a New Wave band that forgot to quit. Four bars into the set, it's obvious that the former is true.

Few bands at ANY level seem to remember the art of putting on a show; years of self-indulgent noodling and lead singers contemplating their sneakers have seemingly washed away the standards of professionalism on stage. The Cliffs came out, plugged in and proceeded to rip through four great songs with but a half-beat between them. Taking a moment to play with the crowd's head, Salvia encouraged them to come closer ("we're from NY, we ain't gonna hurt you or anything") and then blasted back with another four-song barrage. Somehow Kurz's guitar sounds like rhythm and lead at the same time; drummer Carollo ponds away while counting off the beats to himself. Salvia is a typhoon on a leash, head and bass neck bobbing sharply, face contorting to punch home witty lyrics, mesmerizing the crowd. We're talking serious front man qualities here; whatever "it" is, Salvia has enough "it" to dole out leftovers. The crowd begins as newcomers and leave as converts, even laughing when Salvia has the stones to tease them with "BAL-TI-MORRRRE...you guys are the BEST crowd in the USA!! Nah...just pulling yer leg..."

And the songs! Short, sharp rockers like "Whaddya No?" and "If I Were You" sound even better live (the band slips into a faux fifties' style on one verse in the latter - nice touch!), tight vocal harmonies riding over even tighter music. They played most of their debut record during the forty minute set, standouts besides those mentioned included the shuffle-rock "Broken Heart" and "She Found God", boasting the immortal couplet "ready to blow my wad/she turns around and says that she found god...". They also did two covers, buzzsaw versions of "Crazy" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". When your weakest moment is a Patsy Cline standard, you've got some great original songs. It's tough to get an encore on a multiple bill, lights and house music usually blast on before the drummer stands up. The Cliffs got two that night.

If I were in a band and had to follow these guys onstage, I'd demand to have the room hosed out and a fresh audience brought in. Nuff said.