East Hundred

Fri., Jan. 9, 9:30 p.m., $10, with Gildon Works and Jotto, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, johnnybrendas.com.

by M.J. Fine

rock/pop

It would have been a shame if East Hundred dead-ended after two promising EPs, but it wouldn't have been a shock. Music libraries are filled with the remains of bands that burned bright and then fizzled when two members broke up. But when it happened to singer Beril Guceri and guitarist Brooke Blair, East Hundred decided to press ahead and turn their grief into something good. Their first full-length, Passenger, is a testament to chemistry after love. Blair's minor chords are strong but vulnerable, Guceri's soaring voice was made for mourning, and the lyrics hammer home their point: "We split wide open." "This thing we tried to build is falling over and over again." "I don't see a thing in your eyes." If anything, it's where East Hundred's chilly atmosphere had been pointing all along. A breakup doesn't affect only the former couple — it touches everyone around them. There's Brooke's drummer-brother Will, holding back and then letting loose on "Plus Minus." There's keyboardist Susan Gager, tattooing "Slow Burning Crimes" with a wistful melody. There's bassist Dave Sunderland, laying down the darkness of "Sigh and Wave." There's co-producer Brian McTear, capturing the tension. There's you and me at the CD release show, maybe starting something new.

Fri., Jan. 9, 9:30 p.m., $10, with Gildon Works and Jotto, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, johnnybrendas.com.