Show Recap: Red Devil, Jay Moses, The Northbound, Bones, Jugs, N' Harmony, A Cool Hand, Church Booty, Fauve

As an alarmingly inexperienced local concert-goer, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at The Canopy Club.  I got there unfashionably on-time so the venue was completely empty, but even so, it gave off a very sophisticated yet cozy vibe, kind of like the cool kid in high school who was also pretty nice.  The initial emptiness of the venue also gave me an opportunity to have a short conversation with one of the members of…

Red Devil

Before Red Devil began, they did a sound check by playing through "All These Things That I’ve Done" by The Killers (my favorite Killers' song), so I knew what to expect in terms of style.  They played that again at the beginning of the set, followed by another cover of "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys.  The set ran smoothly, and I was under the impression that they were just a solid cover band when they began an original song called "Hold On."  It wasn’t experimental or avant-garde, but it fit well with the covers that came before.  Also, from the lengthy guitar riffs and an enthusiastic band member slapping away at the bass, they seem to have plenty of talent to go around.  From the conversation with the lead guitarist, I garnered that they had only been together a month and practice often in their fraternity house.  I can’t seem to find them in cyberspace, but it seems that Red Devil is off to a good start and I’m curious to see where time will take them.

Jay Moses

A little past nine, Jay Moses came with a member of The Great Thinkers.  They took the stage as a rap duo, with Moses rapping on top of a slow steady beat and his counterpart joining him once in a while for emphasis.  They had a laptop on stage to control the hip hop beats to rap over, which was pretty unique.  It was a very self-produced set, so kudos to them.  Kudos, also, for incorporating crowd participation.  At one point, they had the crowd saying “Countin’, countin’, countin’, countin’ money.”  The message seems to be to have a good time.  If you’re into that, check Jay Moses out here.

The Northbound

The Northbound began their set, and the first impression I got was a very strong Mat Kearney vibe. All the members of the band were in button downs, most with ties, and the band consisted of a bass player, a banjo, and two guitars.  They started their set with a cover of "Awake My Soul" by Mumford and Sons, so I’d say I was pretty on point with my prediction.  They continued with something that sounded Death Cab-esque and then experimented with some Alice in Chains.  The Northbound plays music that one can listen to attentively and enjoy but is soothing enough to listen to right before you go to bed.  If you’re ever in the mood to curl up with a book and a cup of tea, throw some of The Northbound in the mix.

Bones, Jugs, N’ Harmony

I’m sure they’re tired of hearing this, but I do believe Bones, Jugs, N’ Harmony hold their talent in their facial hair.  As a collective entity, they have a lot of talent and they have a lot of facial hair; it only makes sense.  Their mediums of music-making were plenty; apart from the bass, percussion, and trombone, I saw steel pans, a xylophone, and a washboard -- among others (whoever was whistling, your whistling skills are impeccable).  At times I felt like I was at a circus; the comical nature of their lighthearted music is nostalgic, almost.  The steel pans sounded like I was listening to "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, and at points in their set I thought I was hearing a big band.  Oh, and I think I heard sheep noises.  That counts for something.  Obviously, not everyone got identical impressions from their performance, but I have come to the conclusion that Bones, Jugs, N’ Harmony can extract weird emotions and memories and none of them need to be justifiable.  You don’t hear them qualifying their number of instruments or style or funky upward vocal glissandos.  OR the fact that they performed a song named “Rapplejuice.”  Let that sink in for a minute.

A Cool Hand

A Cool Hand was next.  They took a while setting up and warming up because they were a bigger group, so I scoped them out visually.  The Japanese say “you first eat with your eyes,” so I’m guessing that applies to live music as well, fair or not.  This time, there was a trumpet and a sax warming up with the rest of the standard keyboard/bass/drums/guitars combo, so I was assuming they’d be having a completely different sound.  Indeed, A Cool Hand did a great job of incorporating the traditionally jazzy instruments into their indie-rock nature.  The vibe in The Canopy Club was definitely grooving (if that’s a musical term anymore) and everyone was smiling and head-bobbing to the indie-rock.  I noticed that the lead singer, Justin Tanaka sings out of the side of his mouth.  To each their own, but it’s notable because he deliberately distorted his voice to create a different sound altogether, and I think that’s pretty cool.  Plus, I know he doesn’t sound like that in real life because I shook his hand after his set and he introduced himself (am I cool yet?).

Church Booty

Following A Cool Hand was Church Booty, and the band name really suits them as they can probably perform in a church (using the term church loosely, of course) and a place where there is… booty.  Versatility gets a thumbs up for sure.  Church Booty is also a larger ensemble, possessing a soulful vibe that one can also headbang to (if that’s your thing).  They bring together vibraphones and a sax and a trombone and somehow it works miraculously.  The sax and the trombone were great additions to their R&B songs (such as "Bounce") as well, making it their own.  The entire house was on fire -- not literally -- when they began their cover of "Get Lucky,: and there are jazzy guitar riffs galore to top everything off.  If you ever want to have your world rocked with some funk, soul, and R&B, check out this church booty right here.

Fauve

The last band of the night was Fauve, starting right after the clock struck one.  The keyboardist from Church Booty is the composer for Fauve, and took the front of the stage along with his keyboard.  Sam Hasting, the guitar player is in both Church Booty and Fauve as well, and his described by a reliable source (the brother of a friend who took lessons from Hasting) as “the best guitarist, ever."  After hearing him casually practice before their set, I have little doubts.  Fauve started out their set deep and sonorous.  Then the beat dropped and the entire house was rumbling with a slow steady rhythm and a great energy, regardless of how late at night it was getting.  Fauve seems to do this a lot, alternating from headbanging music to slow, lyrical melodies carried by the keyboard, guitar, and violin.  Such is with their single "Still Breathing," which is definitely worth checking out.  Sometimes it is both slow and lyrical, yet still headbang-material.  At that point I simply took a step back and said, “I don’t understand what’s going on, but I really like it.”And to go with the pattern of me trying to find a deeper meaning in everything, Fauve might have found a new life mantra for me. Kudos ensue.