Clothes Make The Man @ NXNE 2008

BACKGROUND/COMPOSITION: Solid melodic rock played by a quartet of semi-scruffy indie dudes.

Grade: 85

Comment: It's not hard to see why Clothes Make The Man's star has been on the rise: Their hook-heavy tunes are radio friendly, and they're a bunch of lookers to boot. Shame about the broken bass drum skin, but at least it happened right before their last song.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronunciation: S
Stage Presence: G
Stage Banter: G
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: S

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
There'd be no mistaking the frontman of this band, even without the microphone — Ryan McLennan's got the position down pat, emoting really well while casting earnest looks at the audience through tousled hair. All four members of the band had the everydude image, which added to the accessibility of their tunes.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: G
Problem Solving: N
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: S
Organization: G
Audience Participation: S
Sound: S
Composition: G
Songs: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
Clothes Make The Man were one of those rare bands with the cojones to use their NXNE showcase to perform some new material, and it fortunately worked out well in their case. Although the alt-country sound of the new stuff didn't fit in with the rest of their set, there was a ballad ("Cables and Wires") that basically knocked me on my ass. Radio play, please.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: N
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: S
Level Of Inebriation: S
Actual Ability: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
When you've got solid tunes and well-polished chops, you don't need to hide behind a fancy image, and these guys obviously got that memo. They managed to only slightly keep their cool when the aformentioned bass drum broke though, but apparently that's a disaster for any drummer. It's excused, especially since it didn't do much to deter the dancing crowds at the front of the room.