If you asked me where I’d most likely be found on a Tuesday night, I’d probably say curled up in my bed, watching the latest episode of “Tosh.0” or “South Park." The last place I’d suggest would most likely be Red Brick Tavern with a beer in hand, especially considering my 9 a.m. class the following day and my lack of sleep because of midterms and exams.However, I admit, after this past Tuesday that may be the first place to look for me.
Because this past Tuesday I experienced my first Flow Town Four show.
It was fate that brought me to Red Brick that cosmic night. Okay, so it was more like my editor had stared me down into taking a show preview for Flow Town Four and I was supposed to interview them before their weekly tavern performance. Instead, I ended up watching their entire set and having more fun than any responsible adult should on a weekday night.
Flow Town Four deserves recognition alone for the fact that the so-called “stage” the band performed on was about the size of Red Brick’s bathroom. Dead serious. When they started setting up their instruments, I honestly didn’t think they would fit a drum kit up there, let alone three amps, multiple instruments and all four band members. However, the band persevered.
They kicked their two-hour long set off with Better Than Ezra’s “Good,” which is also the simplest term to describe their performance. In my year and a half at Ohio University, this is one of, if not my favorite, live performance. The band mixed their set with a lot of mid-90ies and early 2000s classics; songs that they knew would keep bar shufflers interested. Every couple of tracks Flow Town Four played an original, fit perfectly into the setlist.
The dual vocals with guitarists Benjamin “Butch” Wagner and Jordan Youtz allowed Flow Town Four to vary the music they covered with songs such as; James’ “Laid," Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” and even Coolio’s “Gangsta's Paradise”. The latter left me extremely impressed, considering it’s not everyday that you find a white boy with a guitar in small-town Ohio who can actually rap.
Even though Flow Town Four had already won my heart over through their impeccable cover selection and their genius flow of O.A.R’s “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” into Blink-182’s “Dammit” it was their performance of “Flippy Floppies," an original track written by Youtz, that turned me into a fan. The laid-back, surfer style can make anyone smile and the lyrics are so damn catchy that I cannot stop singing it in my head.
When a band plays for two hours, it’s typically pretty easy to find yourself spacing out. Hell, I even find myself losing interest in a 50-minute class. But the band had my attention the entire show. They made me want to dance and sing, and left me literally sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what song they would play next.
The good news about Flow Town Four is that they play at Red Brick every Tuesday starting at 10 p.m. The even better news is that you can still get in if you’re under 21, and if you arrive around 9 p.m. your chances of getting carded at the door are slim to none. The best news however, is that you’re going to hear a talented Athens band play some amazing music.
Kristin Spicker, Staff Writer
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