The Arcolytes rock The Kave for an all-ages night of bliss

Rocking out of Bangor with more crunch than your average breakfast cereal, the Arcolytes have set their sights on conquering the world, one show at a time. And given the Bangor-based band’s chops and dedication to create rock bliss for listeners, they just might have us all some day chanting, “Hail, Arcolytes!”

This seemed especially possible when I caught the band hammering out a solid set at The Kave in Bucksport a few weeks back. The Arcolytes took the stage around 9 p.m. with most of the members decked out ZZ Top-style in black sunglasses (but without the beards) and launched into their set for a small but eager crowd of mostly teens and, surprisingly, a handful of equally enthusiastic parents.

The band – Kris Bridges (guitar and vocals), Todd Orcutt (guitar), Gary Hallett (drums), and Jeff Mace (bass) – blasted out about an hour’s worth of its chugging, nu-metal-flavored original rock before clearing out to let kindred spirits Dugen take the stage, followed by Propel.

Like the legendary jumpin’ roadhouses of yore, but without the liquor, gambling or other vices, The Kave is one of those rare finds for anybody seeking music and an atmosphere that’s not the bluesy bar scene, and especially for those teens and tweens who can’t get into bars anyway and don’t care about the myriad ways “Mustang Sally” can be played.

Despite being slightly out of the way, at least from a Bangorian perspective, The Kave is a much-needed rock club for the young, as well as those young of both heart and ear. I’ll have some more on The Kave in the near future.

In the meantime, the Arcolytes keep a pretty steady schedule of performances locally (they played Ushuaia in Orono just last Wednesday) so check out the band’s Web site, arcolytes.com, for upcoming concert dates. Or, give a listen to the Arcolytes self-titled album, which is available online at the group’s site and at Bull Moose Music locations.

George Bragdon can be reached at gbragdon@bangordailynews.net.