TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLU

Oh, the joys of spending too much time in bars on school nights … After a pit stop for a few drinks at The Detroiter, I found myself roaming into the Shelter Tuesday night to hear some fine Detroit rock. A Thousand Times Yes was the reason for the season, so to speak, as this particular night was the band’s last live gig until September’s Hamtramck Labor Day Festival. Thankfully, those cats didn’t disappoint — the band broke out a solid, winding set consisting entirely of material that will be featured on its forthcoming full-length album (currently an in-studio work in progress). This was redeeming, to say the least, as the drunken garden-variety rock stylings of headlining Los Angeles trio High Speed Scene didn’t exactly have the sparse crowd going batshit.

The night’s most pleasant surprise came along with local opening act The Silent Years, who fleshed out a tight set of well-structured pop. Singer/guitarist Josh Epstein peppered the set with slashing guitar fills, while Jonathan Edwards played contrasting, more conventional parts; the effect made the band’s songs feel lush and energized. Set opener “Slept Through the Whole Thing” came off like a contemporary rock hit just waiting to happen, though the highlight of the entire night was the band’s hyper-intense performance of the shoegazing “Important Things” (Blogger’s Note: both tracks are available in demo form on the band’s website).