The best way to defrost after a weekend up in the cold mountain air for me was seeing Wednesday night's show at the Hi-Dive. Three bands came to town that could really bring the heat, thanks to their high energy delivery of multifaceted indie rock. All three bands kept the audience smiling not only with their music but with their vivid personalities, making this night one of the best start-to-finish shows I've seen so far this year.

Finn Riggins

Finn Riggins, an indie rock trio from Idaho, kicked off the night's festivities. Drummer Cameron Bouiss was set up in the middle of the stage, with guitarist Lisa Simpson on one side of the stage and keyboardist Eric Gilbert on the other. Lisa Simpson handled most of the vocal duties, but sometimes Eric Gilbert would take the lead and Cameron Bouiss would also add backing vocals. Finn Riggins created a blend of experimental rock that had psychedelic, krautrock, progressive, post-rock, and math-rock influences, yet maintained an almost pop-like accessibility despite the band's many forays into musical complexity.

Finn Riggins

One would wonder how much energy this band would have to perform when they divulged that they left Idaho at 3:00AM to make this night's show, but when Finn Riggins opened up with "Box Elder", an uptempo post/math-rock instrumental piece, that was no longer a concern. The song's irregular time signature, uptempo drumming and spaced out synth/guitar lines kept things interesting, but a steady, powerful, catchy bass line kept the song rooted. They further showed that they can make intricate songs that have instant but lasting appeal with the performance of "Benchwarmers". The piece combined post-rock with dance punk, weaving steady rhythmic bass and kick drum with intricate synth and cymbals, creating a powerful canvas that held together colorful guitar and vocal work.

Finn Riggins

Finn Riggins continued to keep their intricate sound magnetic throughout their set by injecting tantalizing energy into their music that poured over onto the crowd. As experimental as some of their pieces were, Finn Riggins were like expert tour guides, helping the audience navigate their way through their sound without ever leaving them lost. Songs like "Wake" and "Dali" had immediate catchy appeal on the surface, but the complex layers underneath those pieces kept listeners on their toes. Finn Riggins proved to be a great indie rock band that did a fantastic job balancing the many influences in their sound. They are a band I'd strongly recommend to see live.

Quiet Hooves

Up next was Quiet Hooves, an indie band from Athens, GA. Quiet Hooves performs in a variety of configurations, but on this night they were a nine-piece band. This kooky ensemble crammed a drummer, fiddler, bassist, two keyboardists, two horn players, a guitarist and lead singer/keyboardist onto the cozy Hi-Dive stage. Together, this band created an off-the-wall fusion of math-rock, synth-pop, psychedelia, and something along the line of classic country. The combination sounded like the soundtrack to a whimsical space western, and the peculiar marriage of sounds made for a concert experience that was out-of-this-world fun.

Quiet Hooves

I'm going to stress it right now - you haven't truly experienced this band until you have seen them live. There wasn't much out there that I could find as far as recordings go anyway, and after seeing this band perform, I can understand why. A recording can only do so much, and although one can get the idea of what this band's sound is about from hearing one, the things this band does live during their performance just can't be captured - it has to be experienced. For instance, this band is just as much a collection of talented musicians as it is an assembly of wildly entertaining and engaging personalities.

Quiet Hooves

There was the horn section - a male/female duo initially unassuming but capable of a boisterous sound when called upon. There was the drummer in the back, the lanky fellow who also drums for Reptar that can barely ever be seen behind his massive symbols but can certainly be heard. There was the spectacled fiddler who seemed out of place until of course the music started and his role was made certain. There was the keyboardist with the DIY keytar, taking a small keyboard and strapping it around his torso with a makeshift strap. There was the bassist, who contrasted his calm and collected demeanor during silence with an incredibly animated attitude when he performed. There was the guitar player whose hint of exuberance shone brightly from his fluorescent orange patterned shirt. There was the other keyboardist, an all business sort of fellow who seemed to be the antithesis to the one remaining member of the band, the lead singer/keyboardist. That singer was definitely the craziest character of the group, a living embodiment of a hilarious Saturday morning cartoon.

Quiet Hooves

The combination of Quiet Hooves' genre bending sound and vivid personalities was like a controlled chaotic assault on the senses of the audience. Even before they started playing any music lead singer and keyboardist Julian Bozeman kept the crowd entertained with stand-up quality awkward comedy. Then, when the band began to play their jambalaya of unconventionally mixed sounds, the union of what seemed to be a hodge-podge of mismatched persons came together magically like a well-trained circus symphony. The resulting visual and audio display tickled both the audience's ear drums and funny bones, and the only way the crowd could react was to dance and laugh throughout the entire set. I honestly don't think it matters what type of music you enjoy, unless you are devoid of a sense of humor, seeing this band live is a guaranteed good time.

Reptar

Finally, it was time for Reptar to close out the night. Reptar performed as a six-piece band. The usual suspects, lead singer/guitarist Graham Ulicny, drummer Andrew McFarland, keyboardist William Kennedy, and bassist Ryan Engelberger were on stage, joined by a couple new faces - an additional percussionist and second guitar player. They performed their unique energetic style of music - psychedelic space disco-funk with a healthy helping of modern indie rock, plus a hint of influences that came from around the world. Loud, melodic guitars and synths intertwined with crazy rhythms and infectiously catchy vocals to form the Reptar sound.

Reptar

The performance began with Reptar taking the audience straight to the launchpad, making sure all systems were go, and propelling the audience on the ride of their lives by starting with "Blastoff!". The addition of a second guitar added another dimension to the piece, building up even more energy in the introduction of the song with a distorted wall of sound before the piece broke into a total dance party inducer. The next piece combined an Asian inspired melody with a disco beat that kept the now sweaty dance party going full steam. The experimentation with world influenced sounds continued with the next song called "Please Don't Kill Me", an afrobeat meets disco-rock extravaganza.

Reptar

Reptar revealed a lot of material that will be released on their forthcoming album, Body Faucet, and by the sound of things, they taken their energetic disco-funk influenced modern rock sound and applied it to a host of danceable styles from across the world. They played a piece that was uptempo dance rock with a hint of psychedelia, then they turned around and wooed the crowd with a tribal rhythm and an extra strength dose of cowbell that led into the jungle funk piece "RainBounce".

Reptar had command of the crowd

The members of Reptar have some strong personalities as well, and it was no more apparent than when Graham Ulicny got the entire audience to get right up to the stage and have everyone join hands - even with band members. Everyone held the hand of their neighbor and put their arms up toward the Hi-Dive ceiling, as Reptar led into their new single "Sebastian", essentially blowing the lid off the venue in the process. The crowd was already going crazy during the song, but Graham Ulicny took it to a whole new level when he came off the stage and sang right within the crowd. The energy spilling from everyone in the venue at that point was unreal - an indescribable feeling that can only happen in the most perfect of circumstances.

Reptar

Reptar continued to carry that energy throughout the rest of their set, unveiling a few more forthcoming songs that showed off the band's stylistic versatility all the while maintaining a dance party atmosphere. The energy continued to soar with each subsequent song, completely exploding when Reptar performed "Stuck In My ID". Just when the audience thought there could be nothing done to top that moment, Reptar ended their set by calling members of Quiet Hooves onto the stage. With over a dozen performers on stage at that point, the musical energy washed over the crowd like a cleansing wave to end the night - a perfect close to a fantastic evening. If you aren't wise to Reptar's sound yet, I strongly suggest you check it out. If you are wise to their sound, I hope you were in that crowd Wednesday night, because it was certainly something else. If you weren't, you better ensure you'll be front and center the next time Reptar comes along, because they'll give you a night to remember.

See more pictures from this show in the Facebook photo album. Like the Concerted Effort page to stay up to date.