VAST @ El Rey, 4/26

VAST might have been the coolest, most unusual band around if you were a high schooler who wanted out of the mainstream in 1998. There was some exposure for the band, like that for "Touched" (the high point of debut Visual Audio Sensory Theater), an exotic, acoustic-to-electric adventure that appeared in The Beach. But save for "Touched" and a few spins of "Free" on KROQ in 2000, VAST would never find much of a hit in any of its future albums, and most people would never get to hear Jon Crosby's faux-British accent, simultaneously elegant and commanding. Looking back at how VAST got lumped in with groups like NIN, Dead Can Dance or Stabbing Westward, perhaps it was more apparent to the forward-thinking that VAST's sound would be quickly dated. This writer used to stick "Land of Shame" or "The Gates of Rock and Roll" on every mixtape made during late high school, and admittedly, that may have been a method of avoiding goth freakouts while still claiming loyalty to the band. So it is. The future is now; VAST has a documentary called Closed Romantic Realism set for release in the next year, not to mention a current album called April. Oh, and apparently they're on tour. See how VAST has progressed and get up front to compliment Jon Crosby's elegant and commanding facial hair, seeing as that's the only thing to change much in the last decade. (CB)
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