Carving a Niche: Carver Rocks the Bitter End

With such divergent backgrounds among its numbers, Carver's sound feels a little like sitting at the intersection of three different musical roads. At its January 31st show at NYC's The Bitter End, the band drove straight to the point: with a level of tightness that surpasses expectations for such a relatively new project, there's definitely a niche for Carver among NY's indie rock scene.

Former solo songstress Jackie Pop's vocals are strong, alternately bright and brooding, with an ability to wail that's tough to top. Guitarist Wayne Silver nailed a few serious solos, in particular during Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," which the band covered with precision though its interpretation of the song as a whole could have been harder. Bassist Brian Starke even landed a solo in "Deaf in One Ear," a moody song with the potential to be a single. Keyboardist Adam Zirkin adds an ethereal element to the band's capable song crafting abilities, and drummer Ilan Harel sets the energy level high enough to keep the crowd involved throughout the show.

Going by the band's previous experiences -- three of its members came from Sputniks Down, which started out as a jam band several years ago -- I initially feared the jam band roots would dominate the show. That wasn't the case at all. The band's other parent, alt/rock band Seer, balances the sound perfectly. Carver has a uniquely appealing style to its noise, kind of like a modern-day, female fronted Led Zeppelin. Three distinct roads brought the band to where it's at today, but if Carver keeps up the hard work and intensity, there's only one road the band can go down, and it leads directly to musical satisfaction.

-Janine Sebastian

Perky Petrel gets its feet wet at RVC's Vibe Lounge

Watch out, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. Sisters Jessica, Rebekah and Destiny -- otherwise known as the band Petrel -- introduced their pop-infused rock sound to a packed house at Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre on Thursday night, and they've got you on their radar. Given a little time and effort under their ever-trendy belts, this perky trio will no doubt establish itself as one of the premier names in family friendly rock-n-roll.

From uplifting rock tracks like "All Right" and "Lovin' Life" to the sugary, disco-dancey "Show Me," Petrel's polished studio collection shows their promise as budding songwriters and musicians. Vivacious lead singer Jessica bopped around the stage, drawing the audience into the show despite some tentative moments. Well-done vocal harmonies added some depth to the live performance.

One thing's for sure: the 'tweens in the audience, no doubt in the process of happily staying up past bedtime to watch Petrel rock out, enjoyed themselves so much they lined up for photos and autographs after the show. Cyndi Lauper described it best when she said "Girls just wanna have fun" -- Petrel certainly looked to have plenty of it onstage and didn't hesitate to help the audience have their share, either!

-Chrissy Sampson