Category: Show Reviews

Miles Deep: Lucid Bids Farewell

Before I could even step inside I was already spotted. Walking down Brinkerhoff Street in downtown Plattsburgh on a Saturday evening, the bright lights of the newly reopened Strand Theatre could be seen for several blocks. And as I rounded the corner and approached this beacon of culture for the Lake City, numerous familiar faces turned towards me, smiled and ran over to say hello.

It sure had been a long time. And yet, it all felt like one gigantic moment, hung proudly on the mantle of my soul. Standing in front of the theatre, the sounds of legendary North Country rock act Lucid spilled out onto the streets — echoing across the deep waters of nearby Lake Champlain and pushing up in the heavens, ultimately swirling around the ancient Adirondack Mountains to the west. For the last 14 years, their melodies have been the soundtrack of the Champlain Valley and beyond, and now, it was time to put the record on pause with the recent announcement of their hiatus.And yet, the irony lay right at the start of the evening. You see, for as long as Lucid has been together, the Strand Theatre has been under renovation, a longtime storied venue whose rejuvenation rolled along at such a slow burn, one wondered if the embers were just some glowing mirage we’d only hoped for in dreams.

Wandering into the large building, hundreds of glorious beings milled about, most of which standing like a rippling ocean of rhythmic movement at the base of stage. And just as stood there in awe of the spectacle, you heard a noise above you and looked up, only to realize there was a full balcony of music freaks overhead. Sure, there were two full sets of music, roaring like a freight train across the spectrum of the band’s career, making musical stops ranging from reggae to hip- hop, gypsy to nitty-gritty blues. And yes, it a performance that sent a chill through your body, where you raised your arm and could see the goose bumps emerge. But, that wasn’t what the evening was about, at least for those in the band and their inner circle.

Lucid is (was) about creating a space for all walks of life to converge. It was a scene that was created to foster change, understanding, and happiness. It was about pulling into some random North Country town and showing them just how beautiful and mesmerizing the circus can be. It was about you, and me, and all of us. The power of their music, and their presence, is what was at the core of Lucid. They preached love, personal growth, and the joyous possibilities of humanity, where you can wake up everyday and conquer the world with your positive intent and bright light radiating from within.

And as I stood there on the side stage, watching my musical brothers take their final encore for may be awhile, I was struck by how loud the standing ovation was from the enormous crowd. It wasn’t surprising, it was more so awe-inspiring, this never-ending roundabout circle of passion and energy shooting back and forth between the band and the audience — the essence of what music is, always and forever. Lucid chose “Whiskey Dreams” for their encore, a song whose word ricocheted around the depths of my heart when the lyric “we are them, and they are us…” catapulted out of the speakers, tying a bow on a career that, to at least myself, still
has a few chapters left to write.

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Set 1: Suenos Intro Mind Trippin Four Winds>Gemini Eye* Boats Ancient Incantations Green Money Whoa Mamma$ Rainbow* San Pedro^ Po Man’s Blues^ Miles Deep Pushin Dirt

Set 2: Black Smoke Blessed and Cursed Ground on Up Tight Tight Body in Free*% Psychedelic Bad Habit Break a Man* Lucky Dice Came and Went>Silhouettes Styles of the Smooth Backwoods^

Encore: Whiskey Dreams$

* – Meadow Eliz
$ – Chris English
^ – George Wurster
% – Catherine Wurster & Shannon Rigsby

April 20, 2016
Turkuaz and lespecial Funk It Up Night Two at Brooklyn Bowl

Turkuaz continued their 2016 Digitonium Tour with a 3 night run at Brooklyn Bowl, featuring lespecial for their second night. If any NY funk lovers were looking for something to do for 3 days in April, this was it.

lespecial opened the night of groovy dancing and brought a lighter, funkier version of their death-funk/future-groove with some staples from Omnisquid such as “Fruit Wolf Dance”, “Sugaboi”, and “Pressed For Time” (guitarist/vocalist Gruskauskas’ vocal range truly shines on this track). The trio from Boston also featured classic cover of Les Claypool’s “My Name is Mud”, some new music in collaboration with some Turkuaz members and even a cover of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews, lespecial is truly one of my favorite bands to experience live as their genre-bending capabilities are unmatched!

Succeeding their funk-band-in-arms, Turkuaz took the stage and opened with a fitting “Introduction” from their recent album, Digitonium. Following a strong intro, a very funked up “The Rules” from the 2011 album Zerbert , had the crowd dancing and bopping from the floor to the bowling lanes. It was at this moment I realized what I had been missing; Turkuaz truly brings the funk and I had seen the light in only their second song of the night. Each piece of the band plays a very integral part as each member not only brings their extreme talent to each instrument and vocal aspect but also their own unique style. Some favorites from the night included “The Generator” and “King Computer” from Digitonium and “Tip Toe Through the Crypto” and “It’s So Hard” from the Stereochrome EP.

Turkuaz’s second set was very special as they dedicated the entirety of it to The Band. They opened with a very funky “Chest Fever” followed by an affectionately soulful “Ophelia” and then an extremely heartfelt “The Night They Drove Dixie Down.” “Up On Cripple Creek” seems to have been made for them to cover as they certainly shined in all aspects whilst rocking the track. Naturally, during “The Weight”, a beautiful sing-a-long manifested from the crowd and a very dancey “Don’t Do It” got everyone moving and shaking. Closing out with a fervent and almost spiritual “I Shall Be Released” it’s an understatement to say that Turkuaz did these anthems justice; they put their all into every track and made each one a unique experience. Turkuaz is an amazing spectacle of talent, color and funk. If you consider yourself a fan of live music and have not experienced a Turkuaz show, you’re doing yourself an injustice.

April 19, 2016
The Human Experience/Gone Gone Beyond Thrive at House Of Yes

From his recent performance at House of Yes in Bushwick, David Block (The Human Experience) brought a night full of heartfelt, new music with his live endeavor, Gone Gone Beyond. The event opened with the artists asking all in attendance to momentarily pause, hold the hand of the person closest to you and have a moment of gratitude; this task was quite easy as House of Yes seems to engender a feeling thankfulness any time I find myself there.

The combination of The Human Experience and House of Yes is essentially a no-brainer; a musical artist that combines ethereal, tribal sounds with heavy, grooving bass and an amazing venue that feels as if a Burning Man camp was transplanted to Bushwick makes for a wonderful experience. The name of the event was “The Vibe” which was quite fitting as there certainly was an understanding and sharing of similar emotional and musical platitudes amongst all in attendance.

Opening with “Ain’t Giving up on Love” from their self-titled album Gone Gone Beyond, Danny Musengo’s gratifying vocals and Block’s melodic piano chords had the crowd swaying and singing along to the chorus. Horns were brought out for “Back Swing” whilst an aerialist performed on some silks in the middle of the venue and I felt like I was in a circus tent in New Orleans, certainly a sight to behold. Closing with “Carnival” was proper as it got the crowd moving, dancing, and smiling as an entire aerial performance was occurring above the band on stage invoking carnival vibes tenfold. Following Gone Gone Beyond, was David Block himself as The Human Experience. Block’s ethereal, world sound were in full effect as many patrons were moving intently with their eyes closed as if to truly feel the music. As mentioned, the blend of The Human Experience and House of Yes is like no other; Block’s celestial sounds with HOY’s vibe and performers is an unparalleled experience.

April 18, 2016
Keller Williams’ KWahtro Livens Up the Westcott Theater

On April 8, multi-instrumentalist and one-man jam band Keller Williams, hosted a night of tasteful jams and brought along a fancy new group of amazing musicians to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse. Adding Gibb Droll on acoustic guitar, Rodney Holmes on Drums, and Danton Boller on the upright bass, Keller dubbed the group The KW KWahtro (fun for quatro, meaning four). For anyone who’s seen Keller play live, whether solo or with any of his collaborations, knew the evening would be filled with danceable rhythms and charming lyrics.

With no opening performers, the show kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. allowing the group time to dig in and get comfortable. As the house music faded and lights dimmed, the subtle sound of a muted acoustic guitar began to get louder and louder. Soon enough, a silhouette appeared at the back of the stage and Keller then slowly danced his way forward with the rest of the band following behind him. The audience cheered with excitement as Keller strummed his way into a funky instrumental before the rest of KWahtro joined in with a groove.

Before the crowd knew it, the piece unfolded into the popular hip-shaking “Freaker By the Speaker,” followed with a jam that led into an upbeat version of Jerry Garcia‘s “Bird Song.” Keeping the rhythm flowing, Keller slightly changed direction and began singing “Birds of a Feather” by Phish, which rocketed the energy of the room. Towards the end of the set, came an incredible jazzy drum solo from Rodney Holmes, known for his jazz influenced style. The ensemble re-emerged from the dark, strapped on their instruments and began into “Up From the Skies.”

The second set followed suit with Keller entering the stage in the same fashion. This time around, the whole band collectively began jamming into the hit song “Best Feeling,” from the album Breathe, made popular by Williams’ collaboration with The String Cheese Incident. Included in the second half was a delightful “Scarlet Begonias” featuring a “China Cat” intro, “Victory Song,” and two new singles “Mantra” and “The Drop” from Keller’s most recent release, Vape. KWahtro re-emerged from the shadows of the backstage and asked the boisterous crowd, “Would you like to hear a rockin’ cover or a rockin’ original?” With sincere acceptance for both options, the group graciously jammed out the original tune “High,” seguing into Joe Walsh‘s “Life’s Been Good” to end the evening.

Overall, these four amazingly talented musicians can surely entertain any audience in any venue simply because they know how to hold a tight groove. Judging by the response from the crowd, KWahtro is welcome in Syracuse anytime and hopefully they make their way back again in the near future.

Set One: Instrumental Intro > Freaker by the Speaker > Pets > Freaker > Bird Song > Birds of a Feather, Baby Mama, Ripped Six Pack > Cheaper by the Bale, Kiwi & Apricot, Hate, Greed, Love > Moving Sidewalk > Rodney Holmes Solo, Up From the Skies, Fuel for the Road

Set Two: Best Feeling > Open-Close > The Sun & Moon’s Vagenda, China Cat Intro > Scarlet Begonias, Mantra, Apparition > Victory Song > Buena > Off Time Chorus Line > Breathe > The Drop > Breathe.

Encore: High > Life’s Been Good

April 17, 2016
Deadgrass Livens Up Garcia’s With Midweek Dose of the Grateful Dead

With its walls clad with Grateful Dead memorabilia and portraits of Jerry Garcia, Garcia’s continues its dedication to keeping the spirit of Jerry alive. A regular installment, DeadCenter Presents, brings the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead to the cozy club annexed to The Capitol Theatre.

Kicking off April’s series was Deadgrass, a collective of musicians from the Hudson Valley/greater NYC area delivering a captivating bluegrass interpretation of Garcia. Deadgrass is lead by Matt Turk (mandolin/guitar) and C Lanzbom, and joined by Clarence Ferrari (violin), Russ Gottlieb (banjo), and Dave Richards (bass).

Their two-set, full length performance weaved in and out of mellow grooves and blistering licks. For a late evening, mid-week show, the initially docile crowd found the mark with dancing feet before long once “Truckin’” rolled around. There was plenty of solo trading throughout the entire show albeit slightly more abbreviated during the first set. As the midnight hour drew nearer, especially during the second set, things loosened up quite a bit more as the songs became increasingly improv-laden.

After a short break, the second much looser second set marched forward starting from “Cumberland Blues” and included the popular run of “Scarlet Begonias” -> “Fire on the Mountain,” strung seamlessly together with a jam that slowly folded in the two-chord progression of the latter. Everyone on stage demonstrated some phenomenal chops in the jams, but Lanzbom’s blazing electric guitar solo on “Franklin’s Tower” gripped everyone’s attention.

One of the metrics for a Grateful Dead cover/tribute band is the vocal performance. On top of embodying the mix of structure and improv of the Grateful Dead in their set, Deadgrass did a great job in capturing the vocal harmonies and intonations led by Garcia. Both Turk and Lanzbom, who had a share in lead vocals, emulated Garcia’s performance well, particularly demonstrated by Turk on “Stella Blue,” a song in which the lyrics are a major component.

Deadgrass’ high energy and melodic bluegrass take on the Grateful Dead is refreshing and fun among the mix of the other great cover acts out there. For a Wednesday night, the DeadCenter series continues to be a substantial respite from the mid-week blues.

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April 16, 2016
Luke Bryan Hit the Lights at the Carrier Dome

The Carrier Dome in Syracuse held it’s largest country music concert to date with Luke Bryan and his Kill The Lights Tour, featuring Grammy award-winning performers Little Big Town and rising star Dustin Lynch this past Saturday night. Fans from all across the country traveled to the Salt City to attend the event and indulge in some of country’s most popular music. As the chilled spring evening got underway, the halls and seats began to fill with enthusiastic concert-goers dressed to the nines in jeans, boots, plaid shirts, cowboy hats, and ball caps.

With no time to spare, the house lights dropped as the sound system started thumping, synchronizing with blue pulsating stage lights. Dustin Lynch and his band invaded the stage for their brief set and kicked off the night with “To the Sky,” from his latest release Where It’s At. Strapped with his Taylor acoustic and cowboy hat, the Nashville-born singer warmed up the eager crowd with more of his hits including “Cowboys & Angels,” “Mind Reader,” and topped off with “Hell of a Night.” Bearing a smile the entire time on stage, Lynch frequently thanked the audience for helping him feel welcome to their town.

Four-part vocal group Little Big Town, began their set with an a cappella version of Dolly Parton‘s “Jolene,” giving nod to the accomplished female singer. The full band joined in with “Little White Church,” an upbeat single led by elemental vocalist Karen Fairchild, who donned a Ramones tee and sparkling silver coat. Their hip-swinging summer anthem “Pontoon,” allowed the energy to settle a bit before building up again with their latest title track “Pain Killer.” Kim Schlapman took to the catwalk with her flashy gold dress while she led vocals on “Sober.” The memorable moments of their set were embellished by crowd participation in Fleetwood Mac‘s “The Chain,” the disco ball lighting during “Girl Crush,” and the unified whistling of “Day Drinking” before ending with the classic homage to their hometowns, “Boondocks.”

After an extended intermission, the house lights dropped one final time and the audience erupted as green lasers beamed through the hazy interior. The host and star of the evening, Luke Bryan, kicked off his set with “Rain is a Good Thing” as he appeared at the top the LED-lit steps and danced his way the down to the stage with a video montage of stormy landscapes in the background. Bryan took his “signature” pelvis-shaking moves down the catwalk to heat up the crowd during “Kick the Dust Up.” Bryan and his band continued to shake the sold-out Carrier Dome with more of his hits including “Crash My Party,” “Play It Again,” and “Roller Coaster,” before rising up through the catwalk with Karen (Little Big Town) for a intimate vocal duet on “Home Alone Tonight.”

Sparing little time, Fairchild and Bryan hustled back to the stage to welcome the remaining members of Little Big Town for a mash-up of Ed Sheerans‘ “Thinking Out Loud” and Marvin Gayes‘ “Let’s Get It On,” all while toasting each other with celebratory shots of liquor. Luke stepped up his game with having tour opener Dustin Lynch join him for a rockin’ rendition of Brooks & Dunn‘s “Play Something Country.” Moments after, the 2016 CMA Entertainer of the Year directed the crew to turn the stage lights out and asked the audience to light up the dome with their cell phones, displaying a beautiful fluorescent glow upon the dome’s white canopy. Luke delicately sang “Drink A Beer,” while strumming his acoustic at the edge of the catwalk and asked the crowd, “If any of you out there have lost a loved one that you used to drink a beer with, lets take a sip right now and think of them,” while holding his Miller Lite can up high.

With the recent passing of country legend, Merle Haggard, Bryan wouldn’t let the evening go by without paying tribute to him with his 1982 classic “Big City.” As the historical evening started to wrap up, the country star busted out a few more popular hits like “All My Friends Say,” “That’s My Kind of Night,” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” before ending with “I Don’t Want This Night to End.” Bryan recognized and thanked Syracuse consistently throughout his performance, for making this night so special to him and his band.

Luke Bryan Setlist: Rain Is a Good Thing, Kick the Dust Up, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, Move, I See You, Crash My Party, Play It Again, Roller Coaster, Strip it Down, Home Alone Tonight, Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)/Let’s Get it On (Marvin Gaye), Play Something Country (Brooks and Dunn), Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day, Drink a Beer, We Rode in Trucks, Big City (Merle Haggard), Drunk on You, All My Friends Say, That’s My Kind of Night

Encore: Country Girl (Shake it For Me), I Don’t Want This Night to End/Can’t Feel my Face (The Weeknd)

Little Big Town Set:

Jolene (Dolly Parton), Little White Church, Pontoon, Front Porch Thing, Pain Killer, Sober, Pavement Ends, Tornado, Stay All Night, Save Your Sin, The Chain (Fleetwood Mac), Day Drinking, Girl Crush, Boondocks

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Dustin Lynch Set:

To the Sky, Halo, Cowboys and Angels, Where it’s at, Small Town Boy Like Me, Mind Reader, Hell of a Night

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April 12, 2016
Rock legends, The Cult “Hustle and Strut” at Upstate Concert Hall

Rock legends, The Cult, ventured into Clifton Park’s Upstate Concert Hall on Saturday April 2, 2016 to a mixed macho crowd of mid 40-somethings. Formed in 1983, the British rockers gained a solid following due to songs like “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Fire Woman”. Thirty-three years later the bands latest release, “Hidden City:, the last in a trilogy of tightly woven albums features hard hitting and catchy tracks like,”GOAT” and Dark Energy”. What continues the bands long standing success and popularity are lead singer, Ian Astbury and Gretsch guitar toting god Billy Duffy. The two are also often credited as the two major songwriting talents for the band who have ten full length studio releases.
The band led off with the 1987’s “Wild Flower” from the mega popular, Rick Rubin produced album, “Electric”. Throughout the 15 song set list Astbury projected a re-invented energy that seemed to be missing from parts of the “Electric” anniversary tour a few years prior. Fingers, sporting fresh tape from previous nights dominance of the tambourine resulting in numerous cuts only adds fuel to the passion that has always been the music of The Cult. Perhaps the catchiest new tune of the night is “GOAT” which means “Greatest of All Time”. A song that more than fitting for one of the worlds most talented lead guitarist, Duffy

Opening up for The Cult was Holy White Hounds out of Des Moines, Iowa. Obvious fans of The Cult, frontman Brenton Dean duly noted how excited the foursome continues to be each evening to be opening for the band. The bands super short 7-song set list was a tad too brief to gain any real connection with the crowd but Dean kept his humor and energy in tact as well as his rapport with long time friend and bass player Ambrose Lupercal. The bands debut album, “Sparkle Sparkle” is scheduled to be released on May 6th with a return to Upstate Concert Hall on May 7th.

The Cult – April 2, 2016 – Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park, NY – Setlist

Wild Flower, Dark Energy, Rain, Hinterland, Rise, Gone, Lil’ Devil, Birds of Paradise, Deeply Ordered Chaos, Sweet Soul Sister, Fire Woman, Phoenix, She Sells Sanctuary, GOAT, Love Removal Machine

April 12, 2016
Mac Sabbath Brings an Easter Treat to the Tralf Music Hall

It took just under a half hour for the guys of “Drive-Thru metal” band Mac Sabbath to begin their set on Easter Sunday at the Tralf Music Hall. Before the large yellow and red tapestry that covered the stage came down the lights finally dimmed and Sinatra’s 1973 recording of “Send In The Clowns” began to play, only to descend into an unsettling loop of air-raid sirens and maniacal laughter .

The stage was unexceptionally decorated. On each side of it were two inflatable demon clown body language.

When Ronnie himself was a showstopper, diabolical kindred to Alice Cooper, spraying water-filled ketchup bottles into the crowd, slapping spatulas together and flipping patties on a grill. His cutting lyrics covered everything from obesity to pink slime to GMOs and everything else that makes McDonald’s one of the worst corporations on the planet.

I can’t tell you how many bad puns were squeezed into this super-size performance – including, but not limited to, the band’s fictional contemporaries Great White Castle, Iron Maidenny’s, Motley Croutons, and Cinnabon Jovi. I cringed about as much as I laughed, which was a lot.

He sent yellow and red confetti and blow-up cheeseburgers into the pit, Ronald had a fan willingly pour his Blue Light down a humongous fast food straw which he pulled from his jumpsuit and wielded around like a staff. Ronald later than had the fans beer replaced with a brand new one.

The parody cover band brings humor to the stage while making Black Sabbath tunes all of their own with food-infused lyrics.Instead of “Iron Man,” “N.I.B.,” “Fairies Wear Boots” and “Children of the Grave” the enthusiastic crowd got the caloric versions hilariously titled, “Frying Pan,” “N.I.B.B.L.E.,” “Cherries are Fruits” and “Chicken for the Slaves.”

“We did invent the genre of Drive-Thru metal, so it seems a bit derivative,” Osbourne said. This joke alludes to the common debate as to whether or not Black Sabbath single-handedly founded heavy metal music.

It closed the set with “Frying Pan,” it’s take on Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” (Osbourne missed the opportunity to ask if the crowd would like fries with that) then for an encore played a wild “Pair-A-Buns,” its send-up of Sabbath’s biggest hit, “Paranoid,” with Osbourne encouraging the crowd to start a circle-slam, then crowd surfing around it.

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April 11, 2016
Santana Smooths Over the Event Center at Turning Stone

Rated as one of the top guitarists in the world, Carlos Santana is a household name and his music and performances have been celebrated since the late 60’s. When Santana hits the road, he nearly sells out every show and they’re worth every penny. The 2016 Luminosity Tour brought the group to the Turning Stone Casino Event Center on April 7^th for an Evening With Santana, in support of their new album, Santana IV, which is due out on April 15. The 11-piece ensemble entertained almost 5,000 people in the venue and what a mighty fine evening it was.

The show kicked off with a brief Woodstock video montage while the band danced their way onto the stage. Each member took their position as Carlos strapped on his most popular custom PRS guitar (Santana I) and hit the proverbial gas pedal of Latin Rock. The rhythmic booty-shaker, “Soul Sacrifice” brought the audience to their feet and set an amazing energy to the room. The feel-good vibe stayed all throughout the performance as Santana played a number of hits including “Maria Maria,” “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman,” “Smooth” and a new single from their upcoming release titled “Love Makes the World Go Round.”

The Luminosity Tour will bring Santana all around the world this summer as the group travels across North America and then heads over seas to Europe before settling back in San Francisco in September.

Set: Woodstock Intro, Soul Sacrifice, Saideira, Love Make the World Go Round, Freedom in Your Mind, Maria Maria, Foo Foo, Europa, Corazon Espiando (Benny & Cindy Solo), Jingo, Evil Ways/A Love Supreme, Everybody’s Everything, Se a Cabo, Sacalo, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va

Encore: Smooth, Toussaint L’Overture

April 11, 2016
Oneonta Audience Grooves With Jimkata and Space Carnival

Breaking in the new month, Jimkata, a musical trio from Ithaca, and Space Carnival, a fiery four-tet based out of Oneonta, hit the Oneonta Theatre on Saturday, April 2. Fans were raging about the floor and craved some more.

Space Carnival unlocked the stage and were born into the atmosphere as they unleashed magical sensations throughout. With Jeremy Kraus on guitar, Cameron Fitch on keys and vocals, Chris Meier on Bass, and Nick Tassinari on drums, these four gentlemen took the night and fed their fans more of their funky psychedelic slippery disco.

This group has become outstandingly popular; having been to several of their shows, they never seem to disappoint. Since their formation in 2013, they have created a beautiful fan base and evoke a sphere of jam and funky madness. On this night, they pumped the smoky carnival air with tunes such as “Regal Krad”, “Moon Boots”, “Uh Oh I Slipped My Disco”, “Rango”, “Mister Sam”, “Plibt”, and “Entree The Giant”. It is pleasing to witness how they have progressed over the years and it is an honor to watch them continue to grow into galactic flowers.

Space Carnival meshes funk, progressive rock, and high-energy disco all while melting brains and hearts. They have a unique rhythm and spatial sound which all keep their fellow dancers afloat and on their toes. They performed covers throughout the night along with their fresh jams to keep the spacey flow going. Stay tuned as they are currently recording their debut album Drawn In By The Sun.

Following Space Carnival, Jimkata settled the night in the most perfect way, allowing the audience to cool down and sooth to the smooth moves of soft soundwaves. This night was about the promotion and celebration of their newest album In Motion. This band is much more than what they seem; their anthemic-synth-washed rock n’ roll and pop take you through the night and underground on a happy rollercoaster with sweet melodies and charming hooks. One can feel the emotional energy that emanates from their gentle tunes. It has an adventurous, continuous flow of undulating waves.

On this night of the tour, Evan Friedell (guitar/vocals), Aaron Gorsch (synth/guitar), and Packy Lunn (drums) collectively embraced their listeners with a fresh perspective of feeling. Their music lures you with emotion and hits your body with the beat. The crowd cheered to some of their hits such as, “Wild Ride”, “Innocence”, “Won’t Let You Down”, “Jumping Out of Airplanes”, and “Ride The Wave”, all from their most recent album.

They have a very natural sense of feeling and breath of life that they fuse into their hits. The background jams tune into the vocals as it creates a fresh experience all around. It shifts into different forms along the journey of each song. They were able to evolve their music, as they are now three members instead of four. They were able to successfully regroup after their recent transition. It was certainly a reflective time period for them; it is all about positive energy for Jimkata, a beautiful balance.

April 8, 2016