Valentiger rocked the “good” right out of Friday at Mulligan’s Pub in Eastown. The boys were excited to play with long-time friends Jake Stilson and the Mi Mi Mis and Nick of Big House Red and it showed. After Big House Red displayed their great melodies and harmonies, Valentiger took the stage with intent to rock. They have been practicing new material acoustically for their next release, which seemed to have built up some reservoir of “rage.” Other than the chunky “Bosses In Their Offices,” toe-tapping “Courses” and introspective “Man On Fire,” the set was full-on. Shirey’s amp seemed to have an extra growl while Kehoe have a bit more bounce in his step, perhaps inspired by Rider’s harder-than-usual hitting. Shirey explains,

“I think we all like playing shows at Mulligans because it’s one of the few places where people are in the room specifically for music and can exit into the bar if they don’t like what they hear. The room seems to breed excitement with the sound bouncing around in that small space. The stage is the right size and it just feels a little bit dirty, where, if you spill a PBR it’s not a big deal.  Recently we’ve been picking over details of the newer songs at practice and it really felt good to play this room and let loose.”

And the band played a few of those newer songs including “Oh, To Know” and “Oh My God! This Weekend.” A few select fans had heard the demos and found these two tracks to be at the top of the list. A long-time acquaintance of the band from the 2003 Happy Hour days finally made it to her first show and the night just seemed to have the often-lacking glow of a local show. Valentiger sold tees at “name-your-own-price.” Everyone in attendance mingled and enjoyed each others’ music while simply having a good time. There’s that and, well, Rider performing a Beer Monster after being constantly chirped about having “too much shirt.” Truly magical.

P.S. The band encourages any and all to tweet @SmitaKalokhe.