The Vibration: 3.21.04 @ Sin-é by Craig Cook The crowd was sparse but loyal on this cold night in March, where among friends, The Vibration took the stage at the LES hipster hang Sin-e. The first thing I noticed about the stage was the lack of Y-chromosome and testosterone, but that quickly faded from thought when zaftig lead singer Ann opened her mouth. With a voice hovering between the seismic wail of Bjork and the pained cry of Kim Deal, Ann attacked the microphone and belted out The Vibration’s brand of down tempo heroine-chic rock. In between songs, the banter was rowdy, as crowd and crooner mixed it up. Ann tossed a waterbottle into the mostly empty audience, sprinkling a mohawk in the front row, and paraded around with a goalie mask on.

Laboriously stomped out by resident waif Allison Veronica were slow, steady rhythms that changed often and kept you guessing. On this particular night, the gals get Kudos for true professionalism, as guitarist Randie, South Street Seaport fresh from gall bladder surgery, sat in a chair and struggled thru the set in a pair of scrubs. Instead of canceling the gig, the group made the best of a bad situation, and trooper Randie came thru, even showing signs of a smile as she painfully plucked out her guitar parts. The interaction between bassist Antonia and her convalescing cohort could have been a bit better, and the overall sound understandably suffered from a lack of energy. The 45-minute set was missing a certain variety that has come to be associated with Downtown virtuosity as the beats too closely resembled each other. When the tempo increased however, so did they enjoyment factor. If a perfectly polished sound is what you're looking for when you head out for the night, this might not be the show for you. However, if you are looking for potential, for that certain voice that hits the bottom of your stomach, for a fun group of gals who break down the barrier between audience and artist, then The Vibration is definitely a band to check out.

For tour dates, MP3’s, pictures and a bio, head over to:
http://www.geocities.com/thevibbbration/one.html