Bear Tooth's monthly First Tap concerts usually feature a national act, and while January and February admittedly aren't the busiest months for touring Lower 48 bands, recent years have seen only a handful of locals taking top billing at the Tooth. It's indicative of the growing crowds Lavoy has attracted with what might also be the most polished sounding live sets of any local band around.
The upcoming First Tap doubles as the release party for the band's new album "Bearly Merry," a collection of 14 indie-pop tunes that's just as slick and polished as the live shows. The album is the follow-up 2009's "We Met in the Arts," which was produced and engineered by Jason Martin. He's done the same for Cold War Kids, and that influence is apparent from the get-go. Shades of the Walkmen color the record's softer moments, with washes of reverbed guitars and singer Tyrell Thompkins' vocals taking center stage throughout.
In March, the band plans to showcase the album at the annual South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, so Lavoy might not stay an Alaska-kept secret for long.
Lavoy
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bear Tooth Theatrepub
Tickets: $15, beartooththeatre.net
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