Over the course of the next week, I’d like to talk about a few San Diego bands while San Diego is still my locale.
Rather than save the best for last, I am going to hit the ground running straight out of the gate with the Silent Comedy. These guys are absolutely amazing. I first discovered the Silent Comedy after I learned that another San Diego act that I liked called Dehra Dun had disbanded and a few of its members had formed something new. The new press pictures were interesting – the band was dressed (and still does) in prohibition era clothing. It is fitting garb for a band that takes Americana and folk music back to its very roots. The singing is soulful, the instruments are aplenty, and you have never had as much fun as you have at a Silent Comedy show.

I applaud these guys not only for their talent, but also for their foresight. They were about two years ahead of the curve as one of the lonesome few west coast acts playing folk inspired tunes before hipsters everywhere became enamored with it. Though many have jumped on the good ole bandwagon since then, the group has a core group of fans that have been there since its inception. Though they are one of the hottest tickets in the SoCal scene, routinely selling out venues that nationally recognized acts can’t even seem to fill, they are careful to connect with their fans on a personal level and often personally invite familiar faces back to shows in each city they play. Perhaps due to their overall likeability, each show feels like a family reunion. You can’t help but have a huge smile on your face watching these guys on stage, hollering and stomping like its Sunday mass, while you dance and sing along next to your best friends like you’re never going to be able to dance again.

I’m including a video of one such performance that I personally attended at the famed Casbah. The boys often play a raucously fun tune called “Road Song,” and it is almost always the grand finale of the show. I am really, really going to miss seeing this band.

Take heed, hipsters! If the Silent Comedy doesn’t become a national phenomena in the next couple of years, I will eat my straw hat.