Twin Peaks: From the Garage to Paradise

Erin Hussey ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff-Writer

A case of the Mondays was easily cured with a rowdy, garage-rock filled night brought to Paradise Rock Club on October 5, 2015 by Chicago’s five-piece band Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks performed a roughly forty-minute set in between the comparatively more mellow Steep Leans, and right before the headliner, WAVVES.

A band of righteous dudes, they brought their 60s influenced sound to Boston and the energy was high. Against a tattered tie-dyed tapestry along with a graffitied “Team Peaks” drum head, the set was immediately personal. The band opened with 2013 single “Stand in the Sand”, a marijuana-fueled anthem that sounds like a permanent vacation. A crowd hyped on a chorus of “Oh yeahs!”, moshed, and sang each word with all eyes on vocalist Cadien Lake James, who would often raise his arms up and close his eyes as the emotional intensity built. Twin Peaks’ set up is almost Beatle-esque in the sense that whoever wrote a song, typically provides the vocals. Vocals on each song vary between the former and other members Jack Dolan and Clay Frankel, offering a refreshing diversity.

Twin Peaks gained a lot of notoriety with the release of their sophomore album, Wild Onion, in 2014. Slots in festivals such as Pitchfork, FYF, Leeds, and touring with higher profile bands such as WAVVES has allowed Twin Peaks to put their name out in a variety of scenes.

The boys shredded through their reverb filled set, featuring songs off of Wild Onion like “I Found a Way” and “Telephone”, which the crowd instantly vibed to upon the first riffs, cheering and whistling. Even followed by lighter, melodic classics from their first album such as “Irene”, the energy never faltered. Pre-closer “Making Breakfast”, arguably their most popular song, had the whole house surfing and jumping. All the energy given by the boys on stage was blown right back by all the fans in the 993 capped venue, a highly personable and almost intimate interaction between artist and consumer.

A powerful drumroll precluded the closing “Strawberry Smoothie”, increasing the feeling that no one wanted this set to end. One could just make out the silhouettes of a few lucky fans brought on the side of the stage to provide some background vocals, along with their friends waving to them in the crowd. Whooping and walloping, fans were not only left stoked for WAVVES, but ready to go home and blast Twin Peaks once again.