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Longwave and Jacob Miller

By Kenneth Scott

Published on June 21, 2007

Sure, the drummer sets the pace in most bands, but if you've got two wild stallions on guitars, let them run.

Vocalist/guitarist Steve Shiltz and guitarist Shannon Ferguson, of Longwave, have been playing together since the 1999 release of the group's first album, Endsongs. That album's success got them signed with RCA Records and subsequent studio sessions with big-deal rock producers Dave Fridmann (the Flaming Lips, Mogwai, Thursday) and John Leckie (the Stone Roses, My Morning Jacket).

Emerging from Brooklyn's indie scene, Longwave's British-inflected music nicely vibed with this decade's rock resurgence, landing the group opening slots in the UK with the Strokes and the Vines in 2003.

Now working on their fifth album -- this time with Jason Molina on drums and Jeff Sheinkopf on additional guitars and keyboards -- the bandmates are leaving the recording house and laying it out onstage again. But this Saturday's performance in town isn't really part of a tour. On the group's MySpace page, only two upcoming shows are listed, locally at Studio A and then back in Brooklyn at Luna Lounge, where Longwave was once the house band.

Again, the guitars are the draw. Contrary to titles like "No Direction," the songs are planned out, with accelerating progressions and punk simplicity in their refrains. The riffs should resonate in your ears all night.

Singer-songwriter Jacob Miller, a Miami native, opens the night by performing songs from his debut album, Who We Are. The 22-year-old's poetic lyrics and piano melodies owe a debt to classic troubadours like Dylan, but would even appeal to fans of the contemporary James Blunt. The midtempo music with an upbeat outlook should be a good mood setter for the evening.



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