Show Review:
Petrograd in Transit, When Tides Collide, Early Day Miners, Zillionaire
Words: Christian Crider
Photo: Marina Williams

Appeared:
February 15, 2008
New World Brewery, Ybor City

The night began with a new band straight out of St. Pete, Petrograd in Transit. Post-rock is generally rare in Florida, so Petrograd is a welcome addition to the Bay Area’s scene. Sounding like Explosions in the Sky with an electronic edge, Petrograd in Transit played their set as though they were seasoned veterans. I was actually surprised to learn that it was their first show. Kudos!

For those who remember When Tides Collide from when it was just Carlos Andujar and his guitar, you’ll be happy to know he’s made a triumphant return to Tampa, but this time he’s added a few musically talented friends to the mix. Complete with two keyboards, drums, guitars, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and a violinist. This massive extension of sound signals a shift from the intensely personal, almost introverted, music of Tides to a more rich, expansive shoegaze that better suits Andujar’s musical ambitions. When Tides Collide managed to stun the audience with their newly attained chops, and further established themselves as a musical asset to Florida’s flowering musical landscape.

Indiana natives Early Day Miners took the stage to play a mellow yet interesting set. A friend of mine pointed out that EDM has progressed – or more precisely, diverged – from a more ambient platform to something more post-rock. Though this certainly isn’t a bad thing, it is nonetheless an interesting observation of Daniel Burton’s musical journey from his earlier work on 2000’s Placer Found.

It was quite late into the night by the time Zillionaire took the floor. Despite the hour, the crowd stuck around to see the hometown savants put on a strong performance to offset the many yawns coming from tired, beer-swilling patrons such as myself. Although Zillionaire’s most recent record, The Street Lights Have Been Turned Down, is a chilled-out indie rock endeavor, their live performance was lively enough to shake the cobwebs from my tired mind.