Review: Company of Thieves

Written by Courtney Dudley Thursday, 23 July 2009 22:55

Company of Thieves' Genevieve Schatz bounced on stage to a packed house at Mercury Lounge on August 27, waving sheepishly to the diverse crowd, ranging from blonde teeny boppers to wrinkled old scene pros. Sweet and sugary she may seem at first, with a softness similar to the infamously shy Regina Spektor, but as soon as she opens her mouth and the guys lay it down heavy behind her, you realize shes more likely to be found taking shots of whiskey with the likes of Grace Slick and Joan Jett. She and the other dudes of the up and coming band, Marc Walloch on guitar, Mike Ortiz on drums, Mike Miamone on keys and Bob Buckstaff on base, pulled out all the stops for the fully engrossed crowd that seemed to hang on every syllable the lovely Ms. Schatz spoke, sung, or screamed. The ever catchy "Oscar Wilde" was an apparent hit (no surprise here-- the song was aired on an episode Gossip Girl, prompting every teeny bopper from coast to coast to download it from iTunes before the next commerical break), with just about every person in the room at least mumbling along to the lyrics, if not going into a full out kareoke sing along. It would be hard not to be swooned by Schatz' energy; she continually leaps from one side of the stage to the other while her counterparts rock their respective solos, stopping at the mic to belt out choruses with doe eyes and dramatic sweeps of arms. Although many bands with frontwomen seem soft, the entire band rocked out hard, long and loud, leaving the stage soaked in sweat and waving to an adoring, equally sweaty but totally satisfied NY crowd.

http://www.myspace.com/companyofthieves