Ok Go, Furvis, and Shondaa Rock the Fall Concert
Eric Daucher
Issue date: 9/27/05 Section: Arts
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The first act to take the stage was Shondaa, Trinity's own step team. The group performed a series of dances in a style that onlooker John Rendeiro '09 described as, "an intricate series of claps, stomps, and other moves that were performed simultaneously and in rhythm with one another." Accurately translating the dances into words is difficult to do, but think STOMP and you'll be on the right track. In any case, Shondaa's routine made for an enjoyable, if unusual, opening set for the show.
Next onto stage was Furvis, a relatively new Boston-based indie-rock act. When I heard that the direct supporting act for the concert this fall was going to be a group of twenty-year olds with a single EP's worth of released material and a record distribution limited to their own website and a single Newbury Comics store in Cambridge Mass., I was less than hopeful. However, their eleven-song set, which entirely avoided material from their Bunny EP, demonstrated an expanding catalogue and suggested that studio sessions for a full-length album probably aren't too far away.
Stylistically, Furvis is something of a contradiction. They label themselves as indie-rockers and yet unapologetically mock the genre with songs such as "Brit Pop." Additionally, the group features a big and punchy guitar sound that has earned them occasional reviews on punk-rock oriented websites; labeling them as punk rockers, though, certainly wouldn't be an accurate categorization - while the guitar work occasionally fits this bill, the vocals never do. Frontman Mike Cummings' singing voice is strikingly similar to that of Adam Duritz of Counting Crows fame, so perhaps the best way to describe the music of Furvis would be next-generation alternative rock.
Highlights of the set included "Daydream Rhapsody" (where the similarity to Duritz's sound was most evident), and "Take Me Back," a number that opened with a concert-friendly aggressive guitar sound before transitioning to a pleasingly mellow ending. Overall, the set was energetically performed and was received enthusiastically by the small crowd.
When Furvis left the stage at around 9:50 concertgoers were suddenly subjected to the absolute low point of the night. To my utter horror, a solid set by an indie band was followed by twenty minutes of PA music that prominently featured Coldplay. Despite this indignity, the crowd continued to grow in anticipation of the appearance of the night's headlining act.
Most of the students in attendance likely did not know what to expect from Ok Go but when the oddly-dressed group took the stage at 10:15 they were immediately greeted with cheers and applause. The Chicago-based, four-piece band immediately launched into "Don't Ask Me," a synth and guitar driven track off their 2002 self-titled, full-length debut. It was the perfect song to kick off the set, as it introduced the audience to everything that Ok Go is about: up-tempo guitar work, occasional synthesizer fill or melody, vocal harmonies, and quirky lyrics. Simply put, Ok Go's music is about having fun and is refreshingly devoid of the pointless pretension that tarnishes the work of so many of their contemporaries on the indie scene.
Next up was "No Sign of Life," the eighth track off their new album Oh No. For this song, keyboardist/guitarist Andy Ross stepped back from the synth in favor of a classic Fender Telecaster to deliver a propulsive guitar line filled with squealing bent-string riffs. As he explained after the show, "I use the Tele during the early songs in our set to get a nasally feel...it's run through the little Fender [amp]. The Gibson gives more of a big punch for the second half." Despite the lack of super heavy lead guitar during the first half of the set, there was no shortage of energy.
The fourth song in the set, "A Million Ways," was one of the highlights of the show. Smoothly flowing lyrics, a catchy lead riff, and strong support from bassist Tim Nordwind won the approval of the still growing crowd (which had now reached a surprisingly large size) and clearly gained a number of new fans. It was plain to see why "A Million Ways" is the lead single off of Oh No.
Another notable highlight of the set was a cover of The Violent Femmes's "Prove My Love," during which lead singer Damian Kulash abandoned his guitar and ran through the crowd. One of the only complaints against the performance was the lack of banter and engagement with the crowd as a whole, but this moment of showmanship helped to offset that somewhat.
Perhaps the most well received song of the night was "Get Over It," the band's breakthrough single. Surprisingly, a fair number of Trin students seemed familiar with the song, and those who weren't quickly caught on - the chorus at least isn't exactly complicated.
Still, perhaps the best part of the show was the band's distinctly unusual idea of an encore: a live performance of the "Backyard Dancing" video that they made for "A Million Ways," a several-minute, perfectly choreographed dance routine. Words truly cannot do justice to the hilarity of what easily gets my vote for best music video of the year. So, for those of you that missed the concert, I suggest you head over to OkGo.net, click the videos link, and watch the "A Million Ways" video. If it doesn't make you laugh, check your pulse - there's a fair chance you're dead.
As an extra measure of the band's down-to-earth personable nature, they all stuck around after the show to sign autographs, answer questions, and just chat with anyone else wanted to stick around. When asked about where they got the idea for their latest video Kulash replied, "That was actually the second video like that we did...there was one kind of like it for the first album. We were asked to do a public access thing where we'd have to lip-synch so we thought we should go all out."
You might be wondering why bassist Tim Nordwind did the "singing" during the encore, his answer was, "When we did our first dance video I was the singer - I actually sang on that album, so I sang for the video ... when it came time to do another video we just stuck with tradition."
Next up for Ok Go is a tour of Great Britain (a first for them), followed by a return to the States. According to Nordwind they are likely to perform 150-200 shows in a year to promote their new album, so if you missed them on campus last Saturday, you'll probably get another nearby opportunity in the next couple of months. If unpretentious rock music sounds good to you, don't pass up a chance to see them when they come back States-side.
