Material: June of 44 is an eclectic band whose sound can be categorized as pro-gressive pop meets punk meets psychedelia. Weird, eerie at times, with no real direction. The songs leave you hanging, but have profound messages that can be unlocked by reading the lyrics. One of the songs stood out as something akin to Rage Against the Machine, only a lot less ballsy.
Musicianship: June of 44 is made up of regular, everyday musicians. Nothing flashy going on here. They ran through the set list without hesitation and/or problems. Everyone had his parts down to a tee and every song went down without a hitch.
Performance: A bit lackluster. Everyone in the band was looking to guitarist Jeff Meuller as if to say, “How are we doing…Is this okay?” They just stood around bobbing their heads in unison to the beat. It was a bit comical. The El Rey Theater is a beautiful, very state-of-the-art music venue. Complete with chandeliers and artwork, the sound was crystal clear and the bass drum thumped to the blinking of the lights that seemed to help out this vain situation.
Summary: If you like progressive music, you might like June of 44. They have been around for a very long time and have built a cult following through the years. Out on tour this year in support of their latest effort, Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival, which was released in 2020, most of the dates are abroad.
Contact: [email protected]
Players: Sean Meadows, guitar, vocals; Jeff Mueller, guitar, vocals Fred Erskine, bass, Doug Scharin, drums
