Saint Rebel at Arlene's Grocery

I happen to see a listing that a rock band from Denmark was playing at Arlene’s Grocery tonight. I figured if they could travel all the way from Denmark, I could walk the four blocks from my house to catch the performance. The band had four people in the audience – three of their friends from Denmark plus me. Nevertheless, Saint Rebel’s impressive American debut proved it was an outstanding hard rock band. I see a lot of concerts, and this performance was stronger than that of many popular bands.

What makes the six-year-old band interesting is not that it is progressive, but rather that the music is refreshingly regressive. Jonas Kaas sings, screams and croons like a blues singer. The musicians (Allan Blumensen and Martin Højfeldt on guitars, Lasse Hansen on bass and Jesper Riis on drums) were rooted in high-energy heavy-bottomed throbbing melodies that might recall Alice in Chains, the Stone Temple Pilots and other 1990s bands. The live performance was as polished as any you would see from a major band at a large venue. Saint Rebel has a few videos and a pending CD, The Battle of Sinners and Saints, which can be previewed on iTunes and several of the band’s social media. The band will be performing unplugged tomorrow night, April 24, at the National Underground. Somebody please discover Saint Rebel and make the band huge!