Show Review: Zee Avi, The Backroad

Imagine that you're in college. You're stereotypically broke and trying to balance your time between studying for exams, playing Halo or playing ultimate frisbee. Your college thinks it best to bring options to you, in the form of a relatively unknown singer-songwriter, whose music sounds nice on the iTunes previews and who is at the level of popularity where you can pay $5 for a ticket. If you need a study break, or if it's too dark for disc golf, you go to the show. No problem. Imagine that you're an upcoming artist, who is getting paid to play gigs at a college. You are trying to establish a fan base, you are trying to perfect your musical abilities - you want the audience to leave and go buy a CD. The stage was set for such an experience on Saturday in Brubaker Auditorium at Messiah College, who hosted Zee Avi, a fledgling musician from Malaysia who, thanks to the world wide web, garnered some attention in the United States via YouTube. The show opened with opening act "The Backroad", an entertaining act of some college dudes who are skilled at their instruments and got the crowd involved [Edit: The Backroad is Kyle Morgan's band]. After wrapping up their set, the band cleared the stage for the headliner. Avi, joined by a drummer and a comatose bass player, opened her set with an a cappella number. The audience smiled and snapped along, totally into Avi's sound. That's when the proverbial shit hit the fan.

A monitor was rumbling, causing Avi to quit mid-song and ask for a new monitor. The sounds were driving her, and a few audience members, crazy. Fine. Weird, ill-timed, a bit bitchy, but fine. Some jokes from a Malaysian audience member eased the tension, but this ice breaker, as we would soon find out, was only temporary. As Avi began to play her first single, the audience scratched their heads, trying to figure out where this single had been played. Halfway through the song, the audience was taken off guard when we were put in the spotlight and asked to sing the chorus. We fumbled, we laughed nervously, we whispered rhymes that we thought might fill in the blanks. After closing her song, Avi stared at the audience and asked, blankly, "So how many of you out here actually know my songs?" Of course, most of us hadn't, so it was silent. Some girl and some guy probably whistled or cheered, but the rest of us sat stunned. A song or two later, some more technical problems arose, but this time it was the fault of the musician, not the tech crew. Avi gave a death glare to the sound booth throughout the rest of the number, determined to win the staring contest. She played a cover song, then addressed the audience abruptly by informing us she was about to end the show. The drummer left the stage and she crooned her final number, eyes-a-rollin, and then left the stage. There was hope for humanity when we thought she apologized for being bitchy; to our dismay, though, she just apologized for being pitchy - evidently, she couldn't hear herself for the last fifteen minutes.

[evidently she's always like that]

I realize that not much has been said about Avi's music, and this noticeable omission is no oversight. It's difficult to review the music of the show, because music took a backseat to her stage antics. Technically speaking though, Avi sounds brilliant. While her songwriting and guitar-picking skills are average, her voice is smooth and smoky, compensating for any other musical deficiencies she may have. The type of performance that Avi displayed was the type you would expect from a diva, someone not having anything to lose or prove, someone who could afford to be, for lack of a better word, rude. But Avi is quite the opposite - the crowd didn't sing along with her because we don't know her songs. She isn't familiar. We are looking for a good impression. Whether we know it or not, we are looking for an artist who can sail through a technical glitch without letting it ruin her evening. Her poor showmanship and eyerolls took center stage - not her music. Such a reality turned what could have otherwise been a pleasant, enjoyable concert into a painful, awkward spectacle that simultaneously alienated any pre-existing fans and snatched the possibility of any of us wanting to go buy her music. That's a mistake no musician can really afford these days, and Avi is no exception.

-Jeff Waters (music)

Show Review: U Rock

ResLife put on a rock-themed barbeque yesterday for North Complex residents, and I provided the music. I DJed from 5-6, spinning everything from Ghoti Hook's cover of "I Love Rock'n'Roll" and Cake's "Rock'n'Roll Lifestyle" to Ozzy's "Crazy Train" and Led Zep's "Immigrant Song". Around 6, Kyle Morgan, Ethan Lichtenberger, and Steve Harpine (of Pompeii & the Ashes) had another jam session (see Spring Arts Day review), ending with their two cover songs. Next up was The Greenwash, minus their drummer, who nonetheless rattled off a short set of their own material with guitar, borrowed keys, and a tambourine. Despite some technical difficulties, it turned out fairly well. Everybody seemed to have a good time making pet rocks, dressing up like rockstars, eating, and hanging out with good music playing, so that's a success in my book.

Show Review: Spring Arts Day

This one may be a little biased, since I set up and ran sound for this event, along with DJing in between sets. Spring Arts Day is an annual festival put on by Messiah's Student Activities Board featuring live music, food, games, tie-dye, and other activities. This year the music was curated by WVMM, Messiah College radio (thus my involvement as a manager).

First up was a short acoustic set from The Legacy of Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, including singer-songwriters Phil Wilmot and Sincerely, Morgan featuring guitar, mandolin, ukelele, and a miniature banjo along with vocals from all three members present. Next was a jam session by singer-songwriter Kyle Morgan (vocals and guitar), Ethan Lichtenberger (bass), and SAB concert executive Steve Harpine (drummer of Pompeii & the Ashes). They mostly improvised, though they also covered The Beatles' "Come Together" and another song I didn't recognize. Following the jam, my fellow United Voices of Praise tenor Bro Calvin did a short set of gospel music with his brother. After a long break, Cole Cash came on to end the show, playing their brand of progressive rock. Bassist Michael Helms is one of my fellow philosophy students and occasionally joins me in jam sessions at the radio station. Though Cole Cash was not exactly a crowd favorite, probably due to their different sound and lyrical content, their between-song banter, story-telling, and intensity made it an interesting show. Expect upcoming Homeboy Music profiles on several of these.
Here's a video of Bro Calvin performing at Coffeehouse a while back featuring a verse by my man Ben Stolz (aka Prodigy of the Street Disciples):