Thursday night, I went to the Cherry Street Artisan to see a couple groups that I have not yet been aware of. My boyfriend Louis had seen It's All About the Benjamins last week when they opened for Josephine Collective and thought that they sounded really tight. So, I thought that it would be a great chance to see some fresh live music.
I'm really glad that I went because all three acts were really talented and its too bad that there were not that many people there. I think there were around 20 people in the Artisan last night. But, according to a friend of mine, Jessica Wakeford, who never misses a It's All About the Benjamins show, "the last time they played here the place was packed."
The show opened with an acoustic set by Alex Strife. As he started playing, he said "I'm Alex Strife, people call me the beard." Many of Strife's songs last night were covers, Strife said "because I don't really write music anymore. I've kinda retired from writing music." Strife clearly didn't take himself too seriously, as he said this while laughing. There was numerous requests from the audience to play "Warpaint", which he replied to with "dude, I don't wanna play that song, I don't know the words!"
Strife seemed to be having a good time and his set felt natural as something you might hear in a local coffee shop. He sang songs about the south, giving them a forelorn feeling. It was as though he was singing of a long lost love, the love being a southern culture not familiar to most midwesterners.
The songs he choose for the most part had beautiful and sleepy melodies. His bearded appearance gave the impression that he was older and wiser than most of the audience, but I found out from Louis that he actually attended high school with him, which makes him my age.
The second group, It's all About the Benjamins, I was feeling really excited to hear their sound for the first time. Louis said earlier that night, "you'll really like these guys, they kinda remind me of The Honorary Title."
They took the small stage with a rough start, they were having trouble sound-checking and after a startling sound, the lead singer said "Well that's a preview of our new album, what do you think?" It sort of made everyone laugh and forgiving of the time it was taking to get going. The album he was talking about is set to be released at the end of March. These guys clearly love what they do, made apparent by the playful back and forth dance by the lead vocalist and guitarist during the first song.
Some of their songs reminded me of The Maine, as well as their playful stage presence. The guitarists had solid solos throughout the set. The lead singer has a very wide vocal range, enabling him to take the songs in many different directions. Their first single is "Love is Blind" and they choose to play the song last. You can listen to the track on the band's myspace.
It's all About the Benjamins is also playing at the Cherry Street Artisan on March 12.
The last group, Our Children's Children all sat down in a line in chairs for their set, lending them to a more laid back vibe. They didn't rely on flashy antics or even customs guitars, just music. During one song, one of the guitarists set his guitar facing up on his lap and played it as if it was a steel guitar. It made that song stand out in my head - it was very creative. Their songs contained a lot of emotion and each member was contributing on his own level, but it somehow still remained tight. I would have liked this group to interact more with the audience, but after all it was a set in a coffee house.
Check out It's all About the Benjamins and Our Children's Children on myspace.
Photo of It's About the Benjamins
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