MRock Night at the Saint
(cont from page 7)

   Following DWI was LP, which was decidedly not an acoustic act. Named for the vocalist, who also played guitar and occasionally harmonica, the band also features Scott Campbell on drums, Tony Finn on rhythm guitar, Josh Flagg on lead guitar, and Scott Kelliber on bass.
   LP has a record out called "Heart- Shaped Scar". They are not based in NJ but have done a lot of shows here at places such as The Saint and the Stone Pony, and have done recordings at Retro Media in Red Bank.
   The band pretty much defined "rock" on stage, playing a driving, immensely energetic performance that set the tone and a high standard for the rest of the evening. They were clearly enjoying themselves, mirroring the obvious good time of the crowd; and had an undeniable stage presence. In fact, I have a distinct memory of a guitarist's pants being removed, and how can you have more stage presence than that?  No way at all. At the forefront of the stage (and the levels), however, was LP herself, possessed of an extraordinarily powerful and distinctive voice, with guitar and harmonica skills to boot.
   Following them was Pie, a band based in New York with members from New Jersey. Before the show guitarist Marisha McLain described the act as "new-wave pop punk," which turned out to be a perfect summation, right down to the marvelous and appropriately punkish A Flock of Seagulls cover at the end of their set. The band also featured Cara Jieven on drums, Sheila Rupt on bass, and vocalist Sandy Cleary, who as the band's front was energetic and charismatic, clearly having a blast and successfully coaxing the audience into doing the same.
   McClain said that the band had been playing together for about a year, but to hear the strong set they played that night, you'd think it was longer. They have a three-song demo for sale and they will soon have a web site at www.pierocks.com.

Pie