Floating Action's Wikipedia entry runs all of six sentences. Golden Boots' is nonexistent.
These are, in short, word-of-mouth bands, yet they're both the type that you don't let go of, those favorites that exist in a distinctly personal way and are also delights to share. Musically similar, both play eclectic brands of rock 'n' roll and share roots in the well-curated New Orleans record label Park the Van.
Tucson's Golden Boots have been a bit of mystery the last couple years, sharing co-frontman Dimitri Manos with the heavy-touring Dr. Dog, but the band sounds like they're on a creative peak. Kicking off the informal patio show about 9, Golden Boots played a batch of recorded-but-not-yet-released songs that expand on the band's self-described "alt-alt country and crumbly Western" sound.
The songs retain the band's sense of wide-open spaces, but put forth a stronger melodic core and regularly showcase tight harmonies from Manos and Ryen Eggleston. Golden Boots have adopted a bit of vintage British-invasion rock and Southern soul to go along with their mad-genius eccentricity, which suits the long songwriting partnership of Manos and Eggleston just perfectly. A new album could come as early as this fall and when it does, don't miss what could be the band's best yet.
Golden Boots shows may be infrequent now, so it's telling that the band opens a Monday show for their friends Floating Action. The North Carolina five-piece, led by Seth Kauffman, add even a bit more Southern soul to the DIY mix of Americana, garage, psychedelic rock and charming quirkiness that characterizes the Park the Van family.
Floating Action is an immediately captivating band, holding the crowd's attention from the start, a fair share of the audience newbies capitalizing on a good recommendation. There's a pleasant ease in the band's delivery and from the subtle slide-guitar shading on "Rincon" to the driving rock of "Earth Shackles," Floating Action's songs are familiar yet unforgettable.
At the end of two-plus hours of golden songs shared in informal friendliness, it couldn't be clearer that Floating Action and Golden Boots are both far, far too good to be playing the Congress patio on a Monday night. But that's also exactly what made for such a great show.
