Rogue Wave Live Review

Just a few years ago Zach Schwartz was down on his luck. The internet business was not working out so he decided to pursue his musical dreams. Hailing from San Francisco, Zach headed over to the East coast and recorded a solo album, Out of the Shadows, that Sub Pop picked up and has been getting rave reviews ever since. Upon returning to California, Zach changed his last name to Rogue and started a new band Rogue Wave. Their harmonious rock has a definite west Coast flavor, yet has been recorded in New York and retains some of the grittiness of the streets. Now coming to Bowery Ballroom to support their newest album, Descended Like Vultures, Rogue Wave had the daunting task of following up their first album. The reviews have been more mixed and as I stood in the front waiting for them to set up, a couple next to me started yelling, “Zach!” Rogue looked surprise to see them and I asked them if they were his groupies. Turns out they're old friends of his and had flown into New York to see the Nutcracker, (it appears his friend stayed successful with the internet business) and coincidently found out Rogue Wave was playing. I had only heard one song, the one that starts off their homepage. The drummer and the bassist held down the beat of the performance and the other member of this four-piece switched off between guitar and keyboards, while Zach played guitar and sang. The crowd was pretty into it and I enjoyed listening to the pop songs of these San Francisco dreamers. He played the first song of his encore solo, showing his origins as a solo artist and the crowd was calling to hear more. Catch Rogue Wave next time they make it across the vast United States.

Tags:   bowery ballroom, rogue wave

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Posted on 12/14/2005 ( Permanent Link )
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