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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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By Dave Miller

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The Wanton Looks have a new look.

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The band is now a trio. Rhythm guitarist Susie Winn aka Susie Q is no longer in the group as of three weeks ago. Singing bassist Traci Trouble, lead guitarist Inga Olson and drummer Meg Thomas will continue as a trio. They have no plans to add a guitarist to take Winn's place.

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It's the latest of countless examples of how hard it can be for different personalities to co-exist in even the best bands. The Wanton Looks have steadily built a following and attracted positive press since forming in 2009. Just this month, Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot named their self-titled debut album one of the area's Top 10 indie releases of 2012. You'd think success would be a strong incentive to get along, but sometimes it's no match for conflicts offstage. The story on Fleetwood Mac in the latest issue of Rolling Stone sadly shows even veteran bands with millions of dollars on the line can have trouble even talking to one another. Anyone who's seen the Some Kind of Monster documentary on Metallica can vouch for that.

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The Wanton Looks played their first show without Winn Friday night at The 411 Club in Kalamazoo, Mich. An understandable nervousness replaced some of their typical swagger as they began to forge ahead as a trio. Something as basic as stage position might take some time to settle. Trouble moved from center stage to the right side. Olson moved from the right to Winn's old spot on the left. Thomas can now be seen clearly in the middle. (The next night in Detroit, Trouble was stationed on the left and Olson was back on the right side.) Having rehearsed as a trio just once heading into the show, The Wanton Looks opened with "Electromagnetic Force." Trouble took a long trip into the crowd, but then returned to the stage for the rest of the headling set. This was a night when the band concentrated on the new dynamics of performing as a threesome.

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My first impression is the change shifts more focus on charismatic Trouble with the interplay of two guitarists no longer present. Not that she can't handle it. "86 Me" with her jumping and singing early in the set was a highlight. The band remains in good hands behind the kit with Thomas. "Demons" remained Exhibit A of that. A heavy load now falls on the slight shoulders of Olson. Nicknamed the "Tiny Terror" by Trouble, Olson can play. There's a reason why she's the lead guitarist. Her stage presence has improved along with her playing, too. She kickstarted "Get Thru To You" with a leap into the air worthy of Pete Townshend and Joan Jett.

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Winn was missed, not only because of her gun-slinging guitar, but also her vocals and attitude, which helped create an explosive energy. It'll take time for The Wanton Looks to adjust playing without her. They have talent on their side so they should be able to figure it out much like Those Darlins did relatively quickly after bassist Kelley Anderson left their band early this year. After giving a tentative performance in town in June at the Taste of Randolph Street, Those Darlins returned to play one of the best shows of the year last month at Schubas.

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The Wanton Looks didn't simply retreat into familiar material with their backs against the wall. They took two major steps forward with a pair of new songs. Playing in a state whose Republican legislature pulled a hit job by quickly and surprisingly passing the deceptively-named "Right to Work" law, The Wanton Looks had the perfect response, their recently-unveiled "G.O.P. (Greedy Old Pigs)." They also played the new "To Be Free," a musically adventurous tune that saw Trouble singing while bouncing around like a boxer and Thomas playing interesting rhythms before Olson capped it with a sailing solo. The cathartic song served notice the band is looking ahead.

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The Wanton Looks came to Kalamazoo with their friends and frequent bill partners, The Handcuffs. Together, they hit the club with a powerful, one-two punch from Chicago, and did so again the next night in Detroit.

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A confounding, last-minute switch moved The Handcuffs in the opening slot of a three-band bill, not exactly the most appropriate place for a top-notch band with three quality albums to its credit not to mention a recent feature story in the Chicago Sun-Times. The indignity could have created a bad attitude, but that would go against the code of the irrepressible Handcuffs.

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It's fair to guess that drummer Brad Elvis and his wife, singer Chloe F. Orwell, were the best dressed, and coolest, couple in Kalamazoo that night. The rest of The Handcuffs -- guitarist Ellis Clark, bassist Emily Togni and keyboardist Alison Hinderliter -- were stylin' as usual, too. The band sports a glam chic that matches their music, but what really makes it stand out in a crowd is its commitment to rock. I've never seen The Handcuffs put on anything less than a good show. The five musicians bring their best to the stage each time they step on it, whether it's in the middle of the day at an outdoor festival or as a midnight headliner in a rock venue or as a misplaced opener in a Kalamazoo club.

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So it shouldn't have been surprising The Handcuffs delivered a show that was as fabulous as their appearance. Being placed in the opening slot made them even feistier. Kicking things off, Orwell issued a "no count" directive to Elvis and the band dove straight into "God is Sure One Funny Girl." It was fitting the club's stage featured a high drum riser. Elvis deserves to be placed on a pedestal. His beats are big enough to fill an arena. The band produced sparks throughout the show. By the end of the set, Clark was playing his guitar so hard that his arm looked in danger of flying off.

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A revealing moment came near the end of the set. Orwell fearlessly demanded crowd participation on "Gotta' Problem with Me?" and didn't stop until she got it. She stepped in front of the monitors and stayed there, working it until everyone in the crowd responded, not only with singing, but with smiles on their faces, too. That's rock and roll. That's The Handcuffs.

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Locals No Bails played a strong set of punk fueled by good humor and Lindsey Crappor's tumbling drums.

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The Wanton Looks setlist:

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Electromagnetic Force

Worst Side of Me

86 Me

This Night Alone

Demons

Neverending

Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

G.O.P. (Greedy Old Pigs)

Get Thru To You

To Be Free

Come On

See You Again

Cut Off

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Start: 12:33 a.m./Finish: 1:25 a.m.
Totals: 13 songs, 52 minutes

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The Handcuffs setlist:

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God is Sure One Funny Girl

Miss You On Tuesday

I Just Wanna' Be Free, Man

Can't Get The Girl (Without The Good Stuff Baby)

Pretty Pretty

Dirty Glitter

Kiss This Goodbye

I'm Not Laughing

Vinyl Isabella

All the Way from Memphis

Gotta Problem with Me?

Jet Baby

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Start: 10:34 p.m./Finish: 11:18 p.m.
Totals: 12 songs, 44 minutes

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Photo Gallery

Show poster

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Wanton Looks

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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The Handcuffs

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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No Bails

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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No Bails

December 14, 2012 @ The 411 Club, Kalamazoo, Mich.

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