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CD Release Live Show Review from SD Dialed In

was there for The Predicates. I’ve been really enjoying their CD since they gave it to me a couple weeks back, but even more than that, they’re really nice people so I wanted to show support.

I don’t know if anyone remembers the local band The MacAnanys, but Greg’s voice is a lot like Ryan’s … I guess it also reminds me a little of Craig from Hold Steady though the style is really different. Erika assists with backup vocals. Greg kept commenting how sloppy they were, but we had fun watching them, especially with his witty banter between songs.

“Wicked Smart” CD Review from North County Times

B+ “Wicked Smart”
The Predicates

You wouldn’t necessarily think there existed a musical space between coffeehouse folk and ’80s synth-pop, but San Diego’s Predicates have found such a spot and inhabit it with exuberance and style.

On the band’s third release, Gregg O’Connell and Erica Putis have as gorgeous of vocal harmonies as you’ll ever hear. They approach the vocals as a team, jointly singing the lead together, as one voice. He also plays lead acoustic guitar, while she plays bass. The ’80s sound comes in from Bryan Difabio, who plays synthesizers and runs a drum machine.

Reading the above, it seems like it might sound a bit weird. In fact, the band’s sound is utterly at ease and comfortable.

The songs’ structure is more folkie than synth-pop, in a Jayhawks kind of vein. And yet, Difabio’s (credited as D-Fab on the liner notes) contributions are as integral a part of the band’s sound as the vocals or acoustic guitar.

A bit hard to explain, frankly —- but when you listen to the music, it all makes perfect sense.

The Predicates play Friday at Scolari’s Office in San Diego.

—- Jim Trageser, Staff writer

“Wicked Smart” Review by Tech & Tonic

The name, “Wicked Smart” tipped me off as to some East Coast roots, as no one in San Diego (or anywhere in SoCal for that matter) has ever used the word wicked (slang or otherwise). Not a bad sign, just a tip off that we have some outside influences coming into play here, which is pretty cool if you have heard a lot of the same shitty ass-rock and OB-based reggae hacks that flood the SD music scene. (Hey, I’m not saying they are all bad - check out Gadfly, local SD reggae band that had me dancing with some OB Hippies, clutching pitchers of beer in both hands at Winstons a couple of weeks ago.) There is some good music here, you just have to find it…and if you are looking for a change of pace - you may have found it in The Predicates.

The Album starts off with “I’m No Scientist” which features some cool vocal harmonies between male and female vocalists that do a surprisingly good job of complementing each other. A few cool little breakdowns - and a cool chorus about “fucking something up”. Maybe I’m immature (ok, not maybe…), but I love this in acoustic music. Reminds me of Owen - great chilled out acoustic rock but its pretty raw and real when you hear him yelling “FUCK” at the top of his lungs. I took the same vibe from The Predicates. This is good.

Heading deeper into the album there is some cool old school Dashboard Confessional-esque acoustic jams that I really enjoyed (Raining in New England really hit me as this for some reason). The keyboards are a nice touch most of the time, adding a bit of electronic feel to an acoustic sound…it works well together. I can imagine this type of stuff is great for coffee shops and smaller, chill, venues.

I hit up the track “Want What We Know”, and had to laugh a bit when I heard the guitar intro. Just made me think “who hasn’t made a song out of those 4 chords”, but getting into it…its actually a pretty good jam. More solid vocal harmonies and some pretty intense, thoughtful lyrics. A bit of keyboards or synth woven in towards the end that helps it build appropriately, although the ending is pretty abrupt. I was feeling it until it just stopped out of nowhere and it felt like my ears hit a god damn brick wall! Regardless, its still pretty good.

Overall, I can say these guys will make it onto my ipod. I feel like I should be listening to them with a hoodie on, hood pulled over my head and headphones in my ears, walking around downtown with my hands in my pockets and contemplating the changes that fall brings…in fact, I work downtown, so I just might do that. I give it two thumbs up on my patented rating system, and recommend it for all - It’s good music to listen to for this time of year.

Check them out at www.thepredicates.com

or on Myspace at http://myspace.com/thepredicates


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