Last Saturday night I headed to the Casbah to catch a few bands and had no idea what to expect. All I knew was Travis Camire from The Shape was doing a solo project he had been working on with a few guys and Jet Jaguar might be playing, but I did not know anything about them.
24-Hour Front Desk played first. As they set up, I was excited to hear them and find out what they were about, especially when I saw keyboards on stage.
“That’s When I Took My First Bite Out of You” was the first song that really got my attention with its high-energy build-up until the end that was never let down. Mid-song it switched from keys to synthesizers, and then ended with guitar. Amazingly all this happened with smooth transitions.
Travis Camire has truly genuine lyrics in “You Walk Around Like You Own the Place.” The song begins heavy on bass line and high hat, then the song is mixed with the smooth stylings of the trumpet that had a rich tone quality. Eric Porter knew how to sustain his notes on trumpet.
Overall, 24-Hour Front Desk was refreshing and honest rock ‘n’ roll with a touch of emo. With the belting of Camire’s heart-felt lyrics, steady rock ‘n’ roll beat of Tim Smith on drums (former member of Winter of ’74), and the bass lines and smooth sounds of the trumpet from Porter, who also plays in local band Junk.
Soon, Jet Jaguar took the stage, and I was surprised to see an upright bass hanging out, since I usually only see them at bluegrass festivals.
They started with a cover of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” which was fun and got everyone’s attention.
They sounded very full for being a three-piece with drums, guitar and my favorite: the upright bass. Throughout their set, each member sang lead on at least one song, which kept it interesting and gave all the songs a different feel.
Jet Jaguar is rockabilly at its finest. I must warn most of the songs are not meant for the younger ears due to some explicit lyrics.
They are a feel-good band with high-energy beats and covers made to dance to. Even those hesitant to get up and shake it will be tapping their toes and nodding their heads by the end of the night.

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