Live Show Review: The Premonitons

I feel a premonition coming on. No, I’m not Raven, I’m not a lackluster Sandra Bullock film, I’m just a writer reviewing an Athens band with the name The Premonitions. After a band that sounded eerily close to that of The Fray, The Premonitions made their way to the stage with a barefooted lead singer, and a drummer who was dressed like a hip librarian—khaki pants, a tucked in white button up shirt and a slight wave in the front of his sandy blonde hair.



Some publications compared the musical style of The Premonitions to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I found a rather slim resemblance between the two bands except that the Athens group is comprised of a female lead and male musicians playing the basic rock instruments: drums, bass and guitar. While the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are loud, aggressive indie rock, the Premonitions are a softer pop-rock vibe. Take one of the new tracks the group performed entitled “Paper Cuts.” There is a simple 1-2 drum beat, with a steady bassline, and a repeating mellow guitar riff with lead vocalist Maureen Mcginnis taking her sweetly smooth vocals in a calming lullaby-like reverie.

On the other end of the spectrum, there were also many tracks showed off a grittier side. The guitars were grungy, and the basslines were a bit more varied.



Guitarist Mark Callahan seemed at ease with his instrument, cutting loud solos effortlessly and bassist Alex Cooper added his own vocals to one of the last songs of the night.

Mcginnis seemed to be a bit nervous at the beginning of the show, smiling and shyly announcing the band, but all of those jitters seemed nonexistent once the music began. Her vocals are powerful---and there is no mistaking the talent of the entire band. Maybe it was her nerves, or maybe it was the fact that they were playing new songs, but Mcginnis kept a pile of papers stacked on her keyboard throughout the show, peering every so often at the crumpled white sheets.

The Premonitions are a fairly new band to hit the stages of Athens, and they still have a lot of room to grow and come into their own, but there is no premonition needed to predict the bright future that lies ahead for this group of young rockers—shoes and socks optional.

- Jessica Cole

Currently Listening to: “Time and Time Again” by Counting Crows

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