3 bands pack full ‘house’ Friday

By ANDY MITCHELL

While most nights at The House Cafe feature at least one band playing to a small crowd, Friday night’s show was happily different.

Not only did all three bands, Chicago’s Baby Teeth, Sycamore’s The Patience and Naperville’s Sleepy Sleepy Octopus impress musically, they also brought in a sizable group of fans. Each band seemed to have an entirely different group of people crowded at the front of the stage.

The headliners, Baby Teeth, were used to the supportive audience. Having played in DeKalb several times this year, they’ve built a dedicated following. Their fans, as well as members of the opening bands, danced and sang along to the trio’s brand of synth-pop with elements of soul music and glam-rock.

Perhaps no one was more enthusiastic than promoter, John Ugolini of Kickstand Productions, who is responsible for booking the band.

“There’s a reason I keep [booking them],” Ugolini said after the show, “They’re such a fun band.”

Logan Ochoa, drummer of the opening band The Patience, agreed, saying that they were her “favorite band to ever play at the House.”

Baby Teeth was certainly grateful and promised to come back to DeKalb soon.

Before them, the talented indie-rock trio, The Patience, took the stage. With a combination of intricate vocal harmonies and minimal rock arrangements, the trio shows much promise on their debut untitled demo CD.

On stage, they were still impressive and a little taken aback by the enthusiasm of their primarily male audience.

“You boys need to stop drinking,” singer and bells player Angel Pfrommer joked to the loud cheers given to her band.

Opening the night was Sleepy Sleepy Octopus from Naperville. With a name like that and a look similar to several other punk and indie-rock bands, people unknown to the band were surprised to hear the Byrds-like country rock on stage.

Led by singer-songwriter, Jack Kolacz, the band’s sound might be described as monotonous by some, but it is certainly a welcomed change of pace from other young bands coming through DeKalb.