Local alternative rock band Rainbow Patrol had a good sized crowd nicely warmed up  for Cope’s EP release party, Oct. 27 at the Owl Acoustic Lounge.

 Bassist  Jacqueline Kennelly was frenetic while frontman Richard Charlton   howled angst fuelled lyrics  in a tight, high octane  and relentless set of original desert rock and alternative rock.' Drummer Travis Arnoldussen got an early start on Halloween by dressing up aptly as a rainbow.

 Cope, now a trio with bassist Christian Nelson joining the fold with frontman/ guitarist Tyson Wiebe and drummer Mickey Hayward  dressed in matching Cope baseball jerseys with their last names emblazoned on the back for a slightly more laid back set than the Rainbow Patrol’ set, which mostly focused on the  new EP ‘ Old Heavies,” but also delving back into their back catalogue for songs like ‘Cholera,’ and. ‘ Tubby Dog.’

 They opened with  the ’90s post grunge grind of “The Great Canadian Barn Dance,” as Wiebe joked about adding Creed’s Scott Stapp to the guest list and joked about the band members being old.

 They drew a lot from ’90s alternative rock and grunge, particularly the Smashing Pumpkins because of Wiebe’s adenoidal voice which at times  veered into Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age registers.

 Their music had a lot of big, grinding, detuned riffs, some dissonance and a touch of ambience in places.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor