Review: Roamck at Alley Cat Social Club
It was truly a wonder that I hadn’t seen Roamck perform before the drizzly night of July 9. The noise rock band’s name has been floating around the Asheville music scene for about two years now, with mentions here and there about house shows recently developing into day-after-concert raves from attendees who still couldn’t hear themselves speak over the remaining ringing in their ears.
There's only so much buzz a person can take before the anxiety of missing out on seeing a band "before they blew up" wins out, especially when said group is still playing fairly regular and inexpensive shows in the town where you both live. And so, armed with the prospect of my future self getting to brag that she "saw Roamck play in a bar in 2023," I set out for West Asheville.
Walking into Alley Cat Social Club, grieving my $10 spent on a cramped parking spot, my mood was somewhat lifted to see the venue’s charming narrowness. As most short people can relate, arriving to a show and seeing a large venue means a night of awkwardly navigating around people who can’t hear your apology over the droning music, and doing the classic inconspicuous shuffle into any open space that might provide a better view.
Just a little after 10 p.m., Roamck began to set up as the crowd stood trying to figure out if the blaring of Wesley Willis’ “Rock and Roll Mcdonalds” from the venue's speakers was some kind of covert hypnosis or just a treat for the hardcore outsider music fans. As the band launched into “Leash” — an unreleased banger that managed to snap the audience out of the fast-food-tune induced trance — I was startled and pleasantly surprised to hear lead singer Adam Macera’s voice. In my casual perusing of Roamck’s Spotify offerings, I’d simply assumed his voice had been edited to get the absolute deep bass of singing that makes his group’s music so recognizable, but the sheer force of his chorus was completely, delightfully unaltered.
As the night wore on, the band only seemed to gain more energy. Bassist Taylor Priola and guitarist Maddox Collina both had huge smiles on their faces as they absolutely shredded — a word so cheesy that I rarely use it, but it’s the best thing to describe the insane array of sound that this band produced. Backing vocals and rhythm guitar from Dane Loeffler complemented William Holden’s warlock-like drum skills. The flow within the group was far beyond their years.
Despite the energy of the music, the audience was notably stagnant, much different than what I’d heard about Roamck’s shows. The subdued crowd energy was foremost on my mind when I sat down with the band at Odd's Cafe a few days after the gig. “It was pretty mild compared to our typical shows,” Macera said. Collina noted that the band tends to “encourage moshing,” while Priola added, “Nobody's intentions are evil when they’re dancing at a show. You've just got to respect the venue.”
The conversation then turned to how the scene has treated them as a young band. “I mean there's always the 60-year-old sound guy that's like, ‘Oh, this isn’t classic rock,’” Loffler said, not hiding his disdain. “It’s a lot easier to be taken seriously after they’ve seen us play. But regardless, all Asheville artists have been really supportive.”
His take was understandable: No one in the band is older than 25, but their sound is much more cohesive than some haphazardly thrown-together DIY group. And they have that special something — whether it be the musical talents they all possess, or simply the swagger of their stage presence, there’s something in the raging sound of Roamck that makes them noticeably stand out in the local scene.
With an East Coast tour planned for this fall that Priola describes as somewhat of a litmus test for future excursions, one wonders what the future holds for the ensemble. Macera cites the band’s early 2022 album Molly’s Medical Exam as the direction he wants to continue in, and the wealth of unreleased material played at the Alley Cat show suggests a heightened sense of cohesiveness throughout the band, and a solidified intoxicating sound.
“We're just trying to take our time on this next album,” the lead singer continued.
“Wait 13 years, then you’ll see,” Holden jokingly chimed in.
(Photo by Kyler Vollmar)
