Combine this with their search for a new clientele and you were left with an empty downstair club and some bands needing to bring their game to get the audience involved or risk seeing half their audience head out the door in one swoop.

The night kicked off with the overly boring and deathly inanimate Orents Stirner playing a drug out set that seemed to last forever. As all the members sat on stools, staring at their feet and mumbling words into the microphone, it made the new couches surrounding the stage seem much more adequate for napping than watching a band perform.

To makeup for the fact that the band never looked up while playing, the trio donned styrofoam masks reminiscent of Greek play performances to add a little bit of shtick to the boredom. It didn’t work. Perhaps standing up for a few moments and acting animated could have helped?

Next up was King Coal. Instantly the night started looking up as there was a small mob on stage setting up gear which consisted of much more than your basic guitar, bass and drum set up.

After a relatively short break, King Coal kicked into their set. With a solid rhythm being held in place by their singer/guitarist Jason Wolter, bassist Robert Baker and drummer Derek Keller, multi-instrumentalists Chris Nine (vocals/guitar/mandolin) and Alarmo McJunkins (guitar/pedal steel/banjo) were allowed to roam over the solid structure to create strong melodies to give the sound something of a solid hook.

With their song Blacktop, the steel guitar brought a calming flow to the song, which fits perfectly with the highway theme of the title. Not being aware of all the lyrics makes deeper connections difficult, but either way, the song stood out in a set of quality songs.

The real beauty of the band comes from the alternating vocals and harmony backups from Wolter and Nine. Apart they give the band two distinct vocal sounds, yet together they blend perfectly to give depth where it is needed.

With the alternating vocalists, constant switching of instruments and their willingness to move around on stage they were in direct contrast to Orents Stirner and showed the difference between a band people get excited while watching (King Coal) and a band that could lead one to narcoleptcy (Orents Stirner).

A solid cover of Echo and the Bunnymen’s Killing Moon slid perfectly into the set and gave a nice pickup to those unfamiliar with the band to lead into the second half of the set, which had some of my favorite songs of the night, Strong As and Changes.

During Killing Moon, Nine played the tremoloed chords with the attitude of a child getting to sample their favorite ice cream. It was this excitement and downright joy of playing, even to a nearly empty club, that brought this band and those fortunate enough to be there to life.

With an upcoming show at the Continental Club with the Gourds, King Coal will be a place that will not only appreciate their brand of music, but also reward them with a larger audience to bring the vibe alive. With the right amount of people and a good atmosphere, these guys could make some magical moment in Houston music history.