Friends In Distraction / September 27, 2013 / Donkey Coffee

By: Nadia Kurtz, News Editor

The likable Athens punk-rock band Friends In Distraction is at it again. But this year the band is upping the ante, with a full drum set and electric sound effects. Quite an improvement from the sole acoustics of the two years prior.

The trio, composed of Dan Baker and Garrett Hood on mic and guitar and Dylan Sams on drums, rocked out last night with a loud, upbeat set at Donkey Coffee. The crowd was definitely not as dense as the band probably would have liked for its 2013-2014 school year debut. It was a strange occurrence for the typically packed Donkey Backroom to have empty chairs and empty tables (that was not supposed to be a Les Mis reference, but think what you will).

Despite the shortage of "friends," the band kept its most devoted fans captivated by its punchy sound.

As a somewhat devoted fan of Friends since its development two years ago, the band has evolved quite a bit and has expanded its setlist. Many of the songs sounded familiar, but it's clear that the band has been working on songwriting as well as thickening its instrumental sound.

Hood, who has typically been a little more behind the scenes during shows, came out and actually sang/co-sang almost all of the songs. It is obvious he is becoming more comfortable in the spotlight, and his softer croons contrast well with Brown's more nasally hollers.

Sams, who used to operate a simple djembe during the band's earlier acoustic days, owned the drum set like it was no one's business. The powerful sounds really helped liven the band and worked in conjunction with Baker and Hood's compelling voices.

Overall, the show was enjoyable, but it could have been more exciting with the addition of people and some dancing. But I feel like maybe Donkey isn't really the right place for that. It might be time for Friends In Distraction to leave its acoustic melancholy at the coffee houses and bring its new, robust sound to the bars.

Fathers of the Revolution and Midwest Revival / March 23, 2013 / Donkey Coffee

By: Nadia Kurtz, News Editor

Photo By: Reverbnation.com

Donkey presented the typical coffee house atmosphere Saturday evening. The Backroom was packed with coffee addicts, intellectuals, music lovers and the regulars who just probably didn’t have anything else to do on a Saturday night.

Athens quartet Fathers of the Revolution opened up the show with a lively set. Singer Daniel Spencer was spot on with his characteristic, old-timey vocals. I am used to seeing the band in The Front Room as their original acoustic trio consisting of just guitars and vocals. For this show, however, the band performed with their new drummer and plugged in the guitars. 

This made for a much louder, livelier and ever more professional-sounding set for Fathers. Unfortunately, none of the audience got up to dance, most likely due to either the cramped room or the fact that High Fest just wore people out today. I guess I could have made the first move, but, let’s be honest, I don’t have either the guts or the skill.

But even with the lack of movement, the audience seemed thoroughly pleased with Fathers of the Revolution. By the end of their set, some gutsy fellows in the front yelled out, “One more song!” and boy, did Fathers deliver. The last song made an impression that would turn any mediocre night into one that made the trek to Donkey in the cold worth it.

After Fathers of the Revolution, a trio called Midwest Revival took the stage. The band must have sensed the audience’s laziness, because the set was pretty much all mellow. I mean, I guess it would be hard to liven things up when you are just two acoustic guitarists and a soft-voiced singer.

Not to say that Midwest Revival was bad per se, but the mellow music really brought any energy that may have been there to non-existent. I guess if you are going to do an easy acoustic set, a coffee shop is the place to do it.

The band interspersed a set of original pieces with covers that were all very pleasant to listen to. Even though the band describes itself as folk, there is an obvious different between Midwest and Fathers. 

By the end of the set, I was sleeping, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. The warm room and dim lighting probably played a part in that as well. Each band brought something to Donkey last night, and the quirky coffee shop was the perfect place to do it.

She Bears, Indigo Wild & Deadwood Floats / November 2, 2012 / Casa Cantina

By: Nadia Kurtz, Staff Writer

When I heard Indigo Wild would be performing at Casa Cantina, my Friday night plans were set. Also performing would be Deadwood Floats and She Bears. A nice night of folk/indie rock was just what I needed.

After I had committed to going to the show, Indigo Wild cancelled due to an illness. Needless to say, I was devastated. I went to the show anyway, and even though some adjustments had to be made, the night was an overall success.

When Deadwood Floats took the stage, the crowd at Casa was pretty dull. Everyone there was just sitting and chatting, seemingly oblivious to the fact that a band was about to perform. When the five-piece band struck their first note, however, heads turned and all attention was on them.

With two guitars, a drum set, ukelele and accordion, Deadwood Floats had the charming sound of a happy little indie/folk band. By the third song, people were dancing up front and others were swaying in a tight group in the center.

Probably the best songs from the band were the ones that were heavily ukelele-based. They were just pleasant and the singers all had clear voices with the slightest bit of twang.

On the fifth song, the percussionist threw in a little surprise by introducing his glockenspiel. Even though the singers were fantastic, what really stood about about this band was its occasional sections of pure instrumentals.

By the end of the band's set, more people were filing into the bar ordering drinks and the level of rowdy was increased by a tad bit.

Following Deadwood Floats was Indigo Wild’s replacement, a Columbus band called Cliffs.

The duo, which consisted of a guitar player and a drummer, was pure punk rock, and honestly, I was disappointed. The attention of the audience began to die down as well, although I’m not sure if this was due to the music or the fact that people were getting drunker and more impatient.

Cliffs’ tunes tended to be overly lengthy and their lyrics were of the typical punky sort, challenging religion. One song was even “about existentialism and shit.”

The set dragged on, and I began to feel more and more like going home. Luckily their set wasn’t too long, and the anticipated She Bears were about to perform.

Unfortunately, right before the final set the crowd began to disperse and people were leaving the bar.

Although She Bears went on pretty late, the four-piece band still kept the attention of what was left of the crowd.

The band announced that this was the kick-off to its tour to promote their recently produced three-track EP.

She Bears performed a set of catchy, upbeat tunes that weren’t really dance-worthy, but it was still a pleasant end to the evening.

Many of the band's songs were very indie-sounding with some hints of pop. The percussion really stood out throughout their set, and the band never really slowed things down.

The only issue with She Bears’ set was the sound, as the instrumentals frequently drowned out the singer’s vocals. Besides that, the band finished on the right note, leaving the audience to stumble home with a satisfied feeling.

The OU Society of Professional Journalists presents: Battle of the Bands / April 26, 2012 / The Union

By: Nadia Kurtz, Staff Writer
Photos By: Nadia Kurtz

Tonight at The Union, a little friendly competition was in the air.   The local bar was hosting a Battle of the Bands between Ohio University’s own Friends In Distraction and The Lost Boys.  The two bands have totally different styles, but they both kept the audience rocking until the end.

The Lost Boys dominated the first act, opening with a beautiful “Amazing Grace” cover played by Ben Leeson on the accordion.  When Mitchell Toler and Kyle Stansell joined in singing in perfect harmony, you know the show is about to be good.

The band of Ohio University freshmen formed only last quarter.  Since then the multi-talented musicians have put together an impressive repertoire of original songs along with a number of well-arranged covers.  The band has been seen at The Front Room and Donkey Coffee and performed their first official show last Friday alongside none other but tonight’s competition.

After their impressive opening, things began to go slightly awry.  The sound was muffled and the microphones were screaming.  As cringe-worthy as it was at first, The Lost Boys  easily masked the awful sound with their upbeat tunes.  Mitch gets the crowd moving with his original “My Hearse” while Ben is on the keyboard and Kyle joins in on the chorus with his signature falsetto.

Kyle then performs his only original of the show as front-man while Mitch comes in with his sporadic guitar solos and jumping all over the stage as usual.

Next, we begin to see some variety.  Kyle moves to the back on the cajon drum and sings background harmonies while Ben takes the front.  His husky yet melodic voice hushes the crowd with his original, “Noise.”  Then the band goes into some of their catchier songs and gets the crowd clapping along to “Redundant Days” and “My Confusion.”  At this point, Ben is on the ukelele which adds a tinkling melodic effect.  Kyle then comes in on the accordion for their second to last song, “Crumbling.”  This song slows things down a bit.

It does not last long, however, as The Lost Boys close their set with the crowd-favorite, a cover of “Shout.”  By the end of their act, the band has the crowd dancing and screaming the words to the song.  The Lost Boys were definitely a hit.

Next up was a slightly different band both musically and content-wise.  Friends In Distraction are folksy, crazy, and somewhat obscene lyrically.  But who doesn’t like a band with a rebellious side?

The three-member band has been playing together since last quarter as well, with sophomore Dan Baker as their frontman, freshman Garrett Hood on lead guitar and freshman Dylan Sams on the djembe drum.

The band starts off their performance with an upbeat cover of “Your Gonna Go Far Kid” originally by The Offspring.  The start to act two is quite shaky as the sound is back to being awful and you can hardly hear Dan singing.  The trio, or rather Dan, puts on quite a show, however, as he runs all over the stage like a mad-man.

The band is pretty much a combination of folk and rock and are continually upbeat.  Dan goes into an original called “1993,” the sound is adjusted, and then they're rolling with Dylan going to town on the djembe.  They reel in the crowd with some audience participation, and then transition into a lengthy ballad called “Nester.”

Then the band plays a song called “Caked.”  If you have been to Front Room for open mic night, I guarantee you have heard this song.  Dan invites anyone who knows the lyrics to the stage and the crowd goes nuts.

The next song is quite different.  Dan switches over to a midi controller and Garrett takes the mic.  Next is a cover of “Oh, Comely” by Neutral Milk Hotel, which slows down the overall pace of the show.

The mic goes back to Dan as he invites a childhood friend to the stage and sings about his hometown, New Jersey, in an original called “Colonia.”  The band closes the show while the crowd is clapping along and obviously wanting more.  Unfortunately though, the show is over and a decision must be made.

It was difficult at that point to come up with a winner.  The show had been pretty consistent as far as excitement from the audience went.  Both bands were totally different in style but really revved up the mood and had a lot of versatility.  As both bands and the audience anxiously awaited the announcement which band would win the five hours of free studio time (which is the winning prize), the verdict came: and the winners are The Lost Boys!

The crowd went wild, of course, including Friends In Distraction.  The Lost Boys graciously took their award and offered to split the five hours between the two bands.  I think it is safe to say the night was a success.