Photos: The Midwinters, The Exfriends, and Mayweather

Last Thursday night, I arrived at the Belly Up a little late, on account of taking this photo and then stopping at the sushi place next to Pizza Port for dinner. As such, I only got to hear two or three songs by Mayweather. I was kind of okay with that, as their sound is rather North County-esque, and not really my cup of tea. Nothing against the boys in the band, I just wasn’t feeling it.

Mayweather @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos

But next up was a band that I knew I would enjoy, having (finally) caught them at the Whistlestop at some point in December. The Exfriends play a twang-inspired brand of twee that probably would have gone over a little better somewhere further south. Not that people weren’t digging it, but there was a noticable decline in the amount of bodies on the dance floor during their set. It’s a shame, but it didn’t hamper my enjoyment one bit. They sounded great, although maybe a little less full than the last time I saw them, with Ray Suen in attendance and playing multiple instruments.

The Exfriends @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos


The Exfriends @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos

The final band in the all-local lineup was The Midwinters. Matt (the bassist) has been politely nudging me to check them out for a little while, and they finally played a show that I could make it to. I enjoyed their set, especially the latter half, which featured some newer songs. Some of those songs were written and sung by their pianist, which lent them a little bit of that Ben Folds sound that I am especially partial to. Overall, they seemed pretty solid, although I got the impression that they were still focusing their sound a little bit. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

The Midwinters @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos

The Midwinters @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos