Going to The Space for the first time, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. It’s quirky, though. From the arcade games to the sofa and decorations on the walls, it’s a whole other world. You should go if you haven’t.
Saturday night’s performance featuring Caspian, O’Brother and Moving Mountains has no words. Amazing doesn’t even cut it. These bands delivered truly killer performances.
Caspian is a band you should listen to when you need help finding your muse. Philip Jamieson, Joe Vickers, Erin Burke-Moran, Calvin Joss, Chris Friedrich and Jonny Ashburn formed the band in 2003 under various names, until they took Prince Caspian from the C.S. Lewis’ books to heart.
From Beverly, Mass., this band has changed the meaning of instrumental rock music. The imagery their songs give is vibrant and overwhelming. No singing needed.
I got a chance to meet Philip Jamieson, guitarist and founder, and he was amazing to talk to. He explained that there are “so many things” they want to convey to the audience. He said that music, to him, is “the ultimate way of responding to the human condition.” Being the composers of their masterpieces, Jamieson and his mates create songs that find their way into the hidden corners we keep deep inside ourselves. They tell us melodic stories from real life experiences. They write what’s real.
Seeing Caspian onstage wasn’t only stunning, but mesmerizing. Their harmonies creep under your skin and invite you to see things in a new light. Their melodies dance with you; their music is different and you should listen to them to feel that.
Next is O’Brother from Atlanta, Georgia. The ambient, experimental band creates the perfect balance of stellar vocals and heavy harmonies. Johnny Dang, Michael Martens, Anton Dang, Jordan McGhin and later Tanner Merritt, make albums for audiences to dance with crashing waves of elegance.
Meeting Tanner Merritt was amazing. The singer shared the group’s reasons behind the musical process. “The concept of music impacting; being able to generate or change a person’s emotions is pretty interesting,” Merritt said.
Achieving this impact makes them feel grandiose. Five years from now, they still want to “make a person feel” through their music.
Their performance was awe-inspiring. I thought the speakers would fall or something because they went all in. Merritt’s singing was soothing, and then it would intensify as the music grew louder. Their songs really pumped up the audience and introduced magnetic tendencies from the musicians.
