Photo by Blaine Schultz
The Thing
The Thing at Summerfest
Kicking off their set in a drizzle, by the time NYC’s The Thing finished the humid weather had turned to merely overcast. None of that fazed the young quartet who hit the ground running on Friday afternoon at the Generac Power Stage and blazed through a set of dirty ass rock and roll. With a look circa 1975 and playing vintage gear to match they moved from heavy riff rockers to mid-tempo proto stoner jams to freakout raveups.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to consider The Thing a hard rocking flipside to The Lemon Twigs power pop. If that’s the case, the kids are all right and maybe even outta sight.
Propelled by vocalist Zane Acord’s bass riffs, the band ventured into tight, near-psychedelic zones the felt like deep cuts from some long-lost double LP—the gatefold one that seeds and stems fell out when you finally picked it up again decades later.
Did a lyric refer to “wake up little mama, squeeze your desire” -- or was it implied? Well, they did include a Lucas Ebeling drum solo. As the set wound on guitarists Jack Bradely and Michael Carter blasted high energy and even merged into twin lead solos.
You want democracy in action? In addition to the drum solo, both guitarists took turns at the center mic for lead vocals. On these tunes, with a frontline of supporting voices, The Thing was at its best. Democracy in action part two: Even though Summerfest runs a tight ship schedule wise, when the set ended and the crowd made enough noise, Acord looked at stage manager who shrugged his shoulders and The Thing obliged with another tune.
