By: David Schultz

Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, Nathan Asher and the Infantry have already amassed a considerable following within their home state. Taking their cue from the title of one of their songs, "Leave The South," Asher and the Infantry came north for a week's worth of shows in New York and New Jersey, bringing their blend of insightful, observational lyrics and sprawling musical arrangements outside of the cozy confines of the Tarheel State.

Although Asher and the Infantry are in their relative infancy, there's every reason to think they will succeed on a national level: "Turn Up The Faders," a slyly crafted song in which Asher's slightly nasal, near monotone delivery provides the perfect narration for the slowly building tune about finding release in the beats and rhythms of a metropolis, won the 2005 John Lennon International Songwriting Contest as well as the 2005 Great American Songwriting Competition. They have also been awarded the trifecta of Best Rock Band, Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song by the Independent Weekly Music Awards.

On both nights, the majority of the Infantry's set came from their latest album, Sex Without Love, a concept album about, well, sex without love. Per the band's myspace page, a hidden plotline lurks within the CD's comprehensive liner notes; even if the thematic link between the tracks may not be readily apparent, the strong songwriting will be. On the album, Asher shows considerable lyrical range: on "Thursday Night/Friday Morning" and "Sex Without Love," Asher draws empathy with his insecure trembling voice betraying a lost, heartbroken soul; on "Leave The South" and "No More Colleges" Asher relates images with the same coolly detached, hyper-vigilant observance that works so well in "Faders."

In their live performances, Asher, by far the smallest guy on stage, plays with the biggest heart. While Asher remains the soul and conscience of the band, the Infantry gives life to the songs: Lawson Taylor's keyboards provide and excellent counterpoint to Asher's vocals; the professional wrestling sized tag team of Dan and Nick Abbate (drums and bass) comprise an exceptional rhythm section; Turner Brandon offers nice synthesizer backing, coming to the forefront with an occasional harmonica solo and Chris Serino's guitar work nicely complements Asher's rhythm guitar.



In addition to playing standout tracks like the rousing opener "Leave The South" and "Storms" with its Neil Young inspired guitar licks, the Infantry made "Turn Up The Faders" a focal point of the show. Introducing the song as one about clubbing, one of New York City's more exciting activities, Asher punctuates the tune's prelude with a deadpan taunt of 50 Cent and the G-Unit. On "Thursday Night/Friday Morning," which found great topicality on a late Thursday evening, Asher slowly built up the emotion in the same fashion of Bruce Springsteen; the Infantry coming in strong to provide the musical punch necessary to complete the full impact. Although the band experienced a couple sloppy moments, they were never derailed, quickly righting any mishaps with good-natured grins.

Similar to Of A Revolution, Asher and the Infantry still have the aura around them of a college band destined for success. At their Thursday night show at Arlene's Grocery, Asher and the Infantry attracted a large Tar Heel following and played a show suitable to the large appreciative crowd. A sign of the band's skill and professionalism, they put as much into their Arlene's performance as they did their sparsely attended Mo Pitkin's show five days earlier. As the band spreads their wings beyond their native North Carolina and audiences get a taste of Asher's lyrical talents, they should fulfill that destiny.

Labels: Nathan Asher and The Infantry