On Friday, December 6, still riding the fine line between mild pre-exam anxiety and mid-exam anarchy, a modest crowd of Goucher College music-heads gathered in the Gopher Hole to witness the talents of Goucher's own Poisonaires and the headlining act, Unity, a local reggae band.
Of course, most of us knew the Poisonaires (refer here to the spectacle of Nairobi Collins, lead vocalist, casually twirling a dum-dum lolly, his voice splattering phrases between pauses in Patrick Griffin's breakneck strolls along the neck of his upright bass). Then we had this band, Unity, of whom I for one, had never heard. Although my first cynical thought was something to the effect of, "Peachy -- Get ready for an over-dramatized version of 'No Woman, No Cry,'" I left ye olde Gopher Hole that night quite satisfied, with my assumptions about Unity proven wrong and my respect for both bands heightened.
Before the music even started, we could see a few new perks to the Poisonares' line-up: an aptly dressed (and, as we would discover later, a more than aptly qualified musician) Greg Rabus on drums. In addition, Tim Blustein sat behind on piano. The Poisonares tore through a roughly 20-minute set, playing originals such as "Misbehavin' Mama," "Bumble Bee Baby," "Why Do You Trust Me," and "She Drinks All My Wine." Covers included "Riot in Cell Block 9" (The Flairs) and "The Girl Can't Help It" (Little Richard).
Rabus performed admirably behind the drumset, ripping out precise and beautiful fills, despite the constant heckling coming from the microphone. Griffin and saxist Aran Keating sang wonderfully tough gang vocals, while still managing to exercise total dominion over their respective instruments. The audience held back from dancing or migrating from their seats, but were stirred and awakened when Collins moved himself and his stage antics to one of the occupied couches.
The Poisonares played a mix of blues, swing and rockabilly, characterized by plenty of cymbal work and fast, fleeting walks along a bass blues scale, complemented by Andy Cole's lifting yet boisterous guitar solos.
One of the great aspects of the Poisonares is that, while you can somewhat easily find rockabilly outfits, as well as traditional B.B. King-style blues bands, it is rare to find a band fusing the energy of rockabilly and swing with the soulful singing and tactful soloing of blues. Best of all, they do so while resisting the "we're-tough- cats-cruising-in-our-cadillac-playing-pool-all-day-long" schtick.
Sad to see the Poisonares break-down set, yet anxious to see Unity, the audience milled about waiting for the next performance. I must say, seeing a live reggae band was a lot of fun. Reggae has the elements of hip-hop and dance music, i.e. heavy, articulated bass guitar and drum, yet glides along at a pace which not only mellows the crowd but also supports thoughtful guitar solos and beautiful fill horns. And, of course, there are audience members who insist on dancing every time (even those of us suffering from chronic rhythmic disadvantage), who find shelter in the slower beat of reggae.
Unity played a great set with some selections from their latest album, Slow Down, some covers (heard some Nelly Furtado in there), and some of their earlier cuts. Hailing from the Baltimore and Columbia area, this 12-year-old outfit consists of band leader and sound techie, Mark Leary, on drums and lead vocals, Meredith Leary on keyboards and vocals, David Saunier on saxophone, keyboards and vocals, Kevin Basilika on saxophone and percussion, and Teresa Jones on bass.
After the audience finally recovered from the first 30 minute jitters, almost all seats turned empty, and we all got up to dance, singing along with tunes like "I Shot the Sheriff" (not "No Woman, No Cry"), and delighting in the chance to skank at some of the faster songs.
After about an hour and a half, Unity played their final song, and the remaining troopers in the audience stuck around for the final note. I trundled back to Bennett Hall a happy gal, toting a copy of Slow Down, courtesy of the band (a little perk of being part of the press).
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two bands for a few reasons: 1) The music was quality. The musicians were talented, and they cared about what they were doing, which is all any self-respecting spectator could ask; 2) I didn't have to pay anything or leave campus; 3) Live music is a beautiful thing. I think that, despite genre-based bias, anybody can enjoy a live show. Though I am sure all you non-attendees had superior social engagements, do consider stopping by the "G-Hole" (hardy-har-har) for the next live performance. For all you know, the Poisonares and Unity could both be signed by next month, playing sold-out arenas and crashing TRL.
If you missed your chance, The Poisonares will be playing the following shows:
Feb 7 @ Gopher Hole with Jeff Jones' Blues Band Feb 20 @ Cafe Tattoo Baltimore with Swingin' Swamis March 1 @ Talking Head Baltimore with The Shakedowns & The Alphabet Bombers
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