Images: Sheer Mag, Same Sex Mary, The Acid Sisters April 20, 2016 at The Bunkhouse Saloon

It’s hard not to wonder how today’s musical landscape would be different if the Exploding Hearts hadn’t met such a tragic, early end. Sure, we’d probably still have Jason Derulo, and “All About That Bass” undoubtedly would still have taken the world by storm, but imagine that sweet vintage guitar rock being thrown in to break up the monotony of modern radio.

Sheer Mag, who headlined a Coachella off-date at The Bunkhouse in Vegas last week, seem like refugees from a world where Exploding Hearts ushered in a new area of guitar shredding, mixed with classic rock swagger and punk rock attitude.

With an internet presence limited to only a Bandcamp site (a unofficial Facebook page has over 7,000 likes) and the praise of the blogosphere, the Philadelphia rock band enjoyed a packed Bunkhouse when they took the stage a few minutes after 11pm last week, though the crowd did thin a bit after the first song (how anyone could walk out after hearing this band is beyond me). Fans were ready to dance, sway and sing along to songs like “Fan the Flames,” “Hard Lovin’” and my favorite, “Nobody’s Baby” and the band obliged, playing just about every song in their discography in just under 40 minutes.

It quickly became obvious why the hype for Sheer Mag spread so quickly. The band sounded extremely tight, playing like they’ve been at this since the 1970s, making it hard for me to believe that they’ve only been around since 2014. The guitar tone was incredible, with Kyle Seely and Matt Palmer’s dual guitar attack recalling the best of Thin Lizzy, an obvious influence on the musicians. But the true star was vocalist Tina Halladay. She confidently sneered and snarled her way through the set with her wonderfully raspy voice and punk rock stage presence, while getting practically teary eyed during “What You Want.” There’s something really authentic about the performance that’s totally endearing.

Sheer Mag’s set and sound was like some wonderful mix of X and Cheap Trick that I never knew I wanted and now never want to live without. Can this be the new mainstream, please?

Same Sex Mary were in direct support for this 4/20 show, a date that had some kind of important significance, but darned if I know what it was as the band launched into “Get High” from 2015’s The Second Coming. The band’s brand of indie rock – a little bluesy, a little garagey – reminded me a lot of late-period The Anniversary, even more so frontman James Howard Adams and farfisa player Tsvetelina Stefanova blended their voices together. The band is a blast to watch, with everyone thrashing about on stage like they were playing the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.

The Acid Sisters opened with what I believe was their first full performance and I have to give them props for playing with such bravado to the small early-bird crowd. Guitarist Nick Thompson, who previously played in Crazy Chief, is a beast on the guitar, and frontwoman Elayna Delsy Thompson has a great stage presence, channeling some of Stevie Nicks’ moves on stage. Musically, the band is a little bit garage rock and a lot a bit psychedelic, their name acting as maybe a suggestion of the best way to enjoy their set.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Hunter Wallace | https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter_wallace/