What’s better than a night of Pixies covers by a handful of local bands? Well, a lot of things are better, but this night was not to be missed if you love the Pixies like I do! On an otherwise uneventful Tuesday (Aren’t they always?) at Churchill’s, Nayra Serrano of Psycho 78 put together what promised to be a night of reminiscing and sing-along goodness.

The show started pretty much on time (A pleasant change in policy at recent Churchill’s shows!) and on a soft note. Experiments by Mice (Minus one member – they reminded everyone…a lot.) took to the stage and cranked out some of the quieter Pixies classics (Wave of Mutilation, Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Where is my Mind…) plus some originals that were pretty well received, even the one where half of the duo busted out with some wicked mouth trumpet skills.

Next up was Fantastic 5 from Ft. Lauderdale who turned it up a bit and gave the sleepy crowd a jolt with their set opener, Debaser. Tony, the band’s vocalist, howled and stomped Godzilla style around the stage as the band bounced through the rest of their set which included a much louder version of Monkey Gone to Heaven plus a great rendition of Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons. They closed out the set with Tame, which Tony couldn’t seem to remember some of the words to, but we won’t hold it against him since guitarist Roxanna saved his ass by remembering her vocal duties.

Hialeah’s Radioboxer took over the stage next, literally. Armed with their own lights, a bullhorn and a dual mike stand draped with red lights, this band demanded everyone’s attention and it paid off. Vanessa, the group’s lead singer, can best be described as the manic love child of Adam Ant and Perry Farrell. Wearing a military style jacket, face paint and metal plates on her boots, she belted out Gigantic with great ease while still finding room for striking her best dictator poses the entire time.  The rest of their set was filled with a lot of originals, which would normally bother me at a tribute show, but I shrugged it off due to the great performance and great tunes. The only other cover they gave up was Cannonball, not a Pixies song but a Breeders song, and if you’ve done your homework then you know that was pretty damn clever, keep your eyes on these guys.

The crowd quickly dispersed after Radioboxer, which I’ve never understood about Miami. How are you supporting an event if you only come out to watch one band? For those that stuck around, they got an earful of one of Miami’s newest and absolutely tightest bands, Low Visibility. There is a reason for that though, the band is chock full of Miami scene veterans. With resumes which include well known acts like Humbert & Johnny Sexfuk and the Fleshrockets , they know a thing or two about rocking Churchills.  Armed with the best arsenal of Pixies songs, they could do no wrong. Every single cover was handled with precision. Great versions of Hey, Nimrod’s Son, Alec Eiffel and Crackity Jones really gave the crowd what they were here for: the music of the Pixies. A balanced set that included some excellent punk rock really made them the band to hear. Well done, Low Visibility…I’m a fan.

As an added bonus to all of this, DJs Tommy Gunn and Dracula’s Daughter where there to fill the empty space between bands and between your ears with fun classic alternative and goth/industrial tracks, keeping you entertained while working on your buzz. I’d say this was a pretty good start to a series of monthly tribute shows that will be held at Churchill’s. A fun night where bands take a stab at playing songs by bands that influenced them while gaining new fans at the same time. Definitely a refreshing change of pace and a chance to hear some of your favorite classic songs…you know, the ones that made you! Up next month on the Tribute chopping block: David Bowie! Do it!