First, start with a catchy, repetitive guitar riff. Throw in an off-handed drum fill, and then finish it off with some slightly cliche lyrics. That is the tried-and-true recipe for the new wave of rock n’ roll. Gone are the Black Sabbaths, Bruce Springsteens and Led Zeppelins of the 20th century, leaving us with only the wannabes trying to bring back the long gone glory days. Yet, in a genre of chronic repetition, a new voice has emerged: Chicago-born indie duo Friko. 

Friko is the project of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger, two 20-somethings with a fresh perspective on what it means to be a rock n’ roller. Their music is a little indie, a little angsty, and entirely emotionally honest in a way that feels authentic to the experience of being young.

The duo released their debut album, “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,” just over a year ago, and it was met with acclaim from both fans and critics, hitting #9 on Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024. The album’s cover art contains a single crimson-colored cardinal, the centerpiece of the record, as it flutters along the album’s treacherous musical journey.

Since the release, Friko has taken their music worldwide, touring multiple continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Most recently, they came back to the States for their Spring 2025 Tour, one stop being at Atlanta’s Smith’s Olde Bar on Feb. 28.

After the crowd was let in at 7 p.m., they ambled up the venue’s iconic stairs that read, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll,” foreshadowing the show that awaited them in Smith’s Music Room. The audience gathered in the 300-capacity venue, and a fashion trend emerged: many concert-goers chose to wear crimson clothes, a nod to the album cover and track “Crimson to Chrome.”

The show was opened by Peel Dream Magazine, an indie group with catchy lyrics and even catchier melodies. The band is fresh off the release of their fourth album, “Rose Main Reading Room,” and are touring with Friko for the first several dates of the spring tour. The group pulled from their diverse discography, roping in the crowd with their curious vocals and keeping them enraptured throughout the show with their simple but massive stage presence.

Later, the curtains drew away to reveal Friko in all their glory perched on the venue’s intimate stage. Kapetan, the vocalist, wasted no time making sure that everyone was invested, teetering on the end of the stage and riling up the audience with truly impressive vigor. He flaunted his guitar like a trophy, waving it around and strumming with so much force that he could have broken a string.

The second song of the night was fan-favorite “Crimson to Chrome.” Although the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical, the emotion of the song is more so felt through Kapetan’s passionate delivery. The venue got to sing together, “We’re either too old, too bold or stupid to move / I guess we’re caught on the wrong side of the shoe again.”

The shout-and-answer format of “Chemical”’s chorus transformed into a yelling match between Kapetan and the crowd, each one trying to overpower the other’s cry of “Chemical!” “Crashing Through” marked another intense moment, with the song climbing the hill of a roller coaster before it plunged into free fall. Drummer Minzenberger marked this stomach-drop with huge cymbal crashes, ascending the song into sonic mayhem.

Just as the album has its emotional peaks and wanes, the angry, wild energy of the first half of the show died down into the live rendition of “For Ella.” The song’s meaning is up for interpretation, but it carries the heaviness of a love song with the mantra: “Ella, Ella, you’re a shooting star.” In an interview with their record label ATO Records, Friko described the track as an “ode to classical music,” noting their use of violins and cellos in the track’s instrumentation. The live version at Smith’s was nothing short of breathtaking, transforming the song into something intimate and real.

They rounded out the last of the set with “Get Numb to It!” — a tense catharsis and chaotic resolution to the tumultuous sonic journey. It felt as though every crowd member was letting go of their problems through a sort of musical therapy while shouting, “And it doesn’t get better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it / So, you better get numb to it, get numb to it, get numb to it.” 

Friko didn’t just play the tired, old rock routine; they delivered an entire emotional experience at their show in Atlanta. The band is on a one-way trip to being indie rockstars, lapping others with their originality and ability to command a live audience. Rock is back, and Friko is leading the charge.

The post Concert review: Friko is reinventing rock appeared first on Technique.

First, start with a catchy, repetitive guitar riff. Throw in an off-handed drum fill, and then finish it off with some slightly cliche lyrics. That is the tried-and-true recipe for the new wave of rock n’ roll. Gone are the Black Sabbaths, Bruce Springsteens and Led Zeppelins of the 20th century, leaving us with only the wannabes trying to bring back the long gone glory days. Yet, in a genre of chronic repetition, a new voice has emerged: Chicago-born indie duo Friko. 

Friko is the project of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger, two 20-somethings with a fresh perspective on what it means to be a rock n’ roller. Their music is a little indie, a little angsty, and entirely emotionally honest in a way that feels authentic to the experience of being young.

The duo released their debut album, “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,” just over a year ago, and it was met with acclaim from both fans and critics, hitting #9 on Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024. The album’s cover art contains a single crimson-colored cardinal, the centerpiece of the record, as it flutters along the album’s treacherous musical journey.

Since the release, Friko has taken their music worldwide, touring multiple continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Most recently, they came back to the States for their Spring 2025 Tour, one stop being at Atlanta’s Smith’s Olde Bar on Feb. 28.

After the crowd was let in at 7 p.m., they ambled up the venue’s iconic stairs that read, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll,” foreshadowing the show that awaited them in Smith’s Music Room. The audience gathered in the 300-capacity venue, and a fashion trend emerged: many concert-goers chose to wear crimson clothes, a nod to the album cover and track “Crimson to Chrome.”

The show was opened by Peel Dream Magazine, an indie group with catchy lyrics and even catchier melodies. The band is fresh off the release of their fourth album, “Rose Main Reading Room,” and are touring with Friko for the first several dates of the spring tour. The group pulled from their diverse discography, roping in the crowd with their curious vocals and keeping them enraptured throughout the show with their simple but massive stage presence.

Later, the curtains drew away to reveal Friko in all their glory perched on the venue’s intimate stage. Kapetan, the vocalist, wasted no time making sure that everyone was invested, teetering on the end of the stage and riling up the audience with truly impressive vigor. He flaunted his guitar like a trophy, waving it around and strumming with so much force that he could have broken a string.

The second song of the night was fan-favorite “Crimson to Chrome.” Although the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical, the emotion of the song is more so felt through Kapetan’s passionate delivery. The venue got to sing together, “We’re either too old, too bold or stupid to move / I guess we’re caught on the wrong side of the shoe again.”

The shout-and-answer format of “Chemical”’s chorus transformed into a yelling match between Kapetan and the crowd, each one trying to overpower the other’s cry of “Chemical!” “Crashing Through” marked another intense moment, with the song climbing the hill of a roller coaster before it plunged into free fall. Drummer Minzenberger marked this stomach-drop with huge cymbal crashes, ascending the song into sonic mayhem.

Just as the album has its emotional peaks and wanes, the angry, wild energy of the first half of the show died down into the live rendition of “For Ella.” The song’s meaning is up for interpretation, but it carries the heaviness of a love song with the mantra: “Ella, Ella, you’re a shooting star.” In an interview with their record label ATO Records, Friko described the track as an “ode to classical music,” noting their use of violins and cellos in the track’s instrumentation. The live version at Smith’s was nothing short of breathtaking, transforming the song into something intimate and real.

They rounded out the last of the set with “Get Numb to It!” — a tense catharsis and chaotic resolution to the tumultuous sonic journey. It felt as though every crowd member was letting go of their problems through a sort of musical therapy while shouting, “And it doesn’t get better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it / So, you better get numb to it, get numb to it, get numb to it.” 

Friko didn’t just play the tired, old rock routine; they delivered an entire emotional experience at their show in Atlanta. The band is on a one-way trip to being indie rockstars, lapping others with their originality and ability to command a live audience. Rock is back, and Friko is leading the charge.

The post Concert review: Friko is reinventing rock appeared first on Technique.

First, start with a catchy, repetitive guitar riff. Throw in an off-handed drum fill, and then finish it off with some slightly cliche lyrics. That is the tried-and-true recipe for the new wave of rock n’ roll. Gone are the Black Sabbaths, Bruce Springsteens and Led Zeppelins of the 20th century, leaving us with only the wannabes trying to bring back the long gone glory days. Yet, in a genre of chronic repetition, a new voice has emerged: Chicago-born indie duo Friko. 

Friko is the project of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger, two 20-somethings with a fresh perspective on what it means to be a rock n’ roller. Their music is a little indie, a little angsty, and entirely emotionally honest in a way that feels authentic to the experience of being young.

The duo released their debut album, “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,” just over a year ago, and it was met with acclaim from both fans and critics, hitting #9 on Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024. The album’s cover art contains a single crimson-colored cardinal, the centerpiece of the record, as it flutters along the album’s treacherous musical journey.

Since the release, Friko has taken their music worldwide, touring multiple continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Most recently, they came back to the States for their Spring 2025 Tour, one stop being at Atlanta’s Smith’s Olde Bar on Feb. 28.

After the crowd was let in at 7 p.m., they ambled up the venue’s iconic stairs that read, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll,” foreshadowing the show that awaited them in Smith’s Music Room. The audience gathered in the 300-capacity venue, and a fashion trend emerged: many concert-goers chose to wear crimson clothes, a nod to the album cover and track “Crimson to Chrome.”

The show was opened by Peel Dream Magazine, an indie group with catchy lyrics and even catchier melodies. The band is fresh off the release of their fourth album, “Rose Main Reading Room,” and are touring with Friko for the first several dates of the spring tour. The group pulled from their diverse discography, roping in the crowd with their curious vocals and keeping them enraptured throughout the show with their simple but massive stage presence.

Later, the curtains drew away to reveal Friko in all their glory perched on the venue’s intimate stage. Kapetan, the vocalist, wasted no time making sure that everyone was invested, teetering on the end of the stage and riling up the audience with truly impressive vigor. He flaunted his guitar like a trophy, waving it around and strumming with so much force that he could have broken a string.

The second song of the night was fan-favorite “Crimson to Chrome.” Although the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical, the emotion of the song is more so felt through Kapetan’s passionate delivery. The venue got to sing together, “We’re either too old, too bold or stupid to move / I guess we’re caught on the wrong side of the shoe again.”

The shout-and-answer format of “Chemical”’s chorus transformed into a yelling match between Kapetan and the crowd, each one trying to overpower the other’s cry of “Chemical!” “Crashing Through” marked another intense moment, with the song climbing the hill of a roller coaster before it plunged into free fall. Drummer Minzenberger marked this stomach-drop with huge cymbal crashes, ascending the song into sonic mayhem.

Just as the album has its emotional peaks and wanes, the angry, wild energy of the first half of the show died down into the live rendition of “For Ella.” The song’s meaning is up for interpretation, but it carries the heaviness of a love song with the mantra: “Ella, Ella, you’re a shooting star.” In an interview with their record label ATO Records, Friko described the track as an “ode to classical music,” noting their use of violins and cellos in the track’s instrumentation. The live version at Smith’s was nothing short of breathtaking, transforming the song into something intimate and real.

They rounded out the last of the set with “Get Numb to It!” — a tense catharsis and chaotic resolution to the tumultuous sonic journey. It felt as though every crowd member was letting go of their problems through a sort of musical therapy while shouting, “And it doesn’t get better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it / So, you better get numb to it, get numb to it, get numb to it.” 

Friko didn’t just play the tired, old rock routine; they delivered an entire emotional experience at their show in Atlanta. The band is on a one-way trip to being indie rockstars, lapping others with their originality and ability to command a live audience. Rock is back, and Friko is leading the charge.

The post Concert review: Friko is reinventing rock appeared first on Technique.

First, start with a catchy, repetitive guitar riff. Throw in an off-handed drum fill, and then finish it off with some slightly cliche lyrics. That is the tried-and-true recipe for the new wave of rock n’ roll. Gone are the Black Sabbaths, Bruce Springsteens and Led Zeppelins of the 20th century, leaving us with only the wannabes trying to bring back the long gone glory days. Yet, in a genre of chronic repetition, a new voice has emerged: Chicago-born indie duo Friko. 

Friko is the project of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger, two 20-somethings with a fresh perspective on what it means to be a rock n’ roller. Their music is a little indie, a little angsty, and entirely emotionally honest in a way that feels authentic to the experience of being young.

The duo released their debut album, “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,” just over a year ago, and it was met with acclaim from both fans and critics, hitting #9 on Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024. The album’s cover art contains a single crimson-colored cardinal, the centerpiece of the record, as it flutters along the album’s treacherous musical journey.

Since the release, Friko has taken their music worldwide, touring multiple continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Most recently, they came back to the States for their Spring 2025 Tour, one stop being at Atlanta’s Smith’s Olde Bar on Feb. 28.

After the crowd was let in at 7 p.m., they ambled up the venue’s iconic stairs that read, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll,” foreshadowing the show that awaited them in Smith’s Music Room. The audience gathered in the 300-capacity venue, and a fashion trend emerged: many concert-goers chose to wear crimson clothes, a nod to the album cover and track “Crimson to Chrome.”

The show was opened by Peel Dream Magazine, an indie group with catchy lyrics and even catchier melodies. The band is fresh off the release of their fourth album, “Rose Main Reading Room,” and are touring with Friko for the first several dates of the spring tour. The group pulled from their diverse discography, roping in the crowd with their curious vocals and keeping them enraptured throughout the show with their simple but massive stage presence.

Later, the curtains drew away to reveal Friko in all their glory perched on the venue’s intimate stage. Kapetan, the vocalist, wasted no time making sure that everyone was invested, teetering on the end of the stage and riling up the audience with truly impressive vigor. He flaunted his guitar like a trophy, waving it around and strumming with so much force that he could have broken a string.

The second song of the night was fan-favorite “Crimson to Chrome.” Although the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical, the emotion of the song is more so felt through Kapetan’s passionate delivery. The venue got to sing together, “We’re either too old, too bold or stupid to move / I guess we’re caught on the wrong side of the shoe again.”

The shout-and-answer format of “Chemical”’s chorus transformed into a yelling match between Kapetan and the crowd, each one trying to overpower the other’s cry of “Chemical!” “Crashing Through” marked another intense moment, with the song climbing the hill of a roller coaster before it plunged into free fall. Drummer Minzenberger marked this stomach-drop with huge cymbal crashes, ascending the song into sonic mayhem.

Just as the album has its emotional peaks and wanes, the angry, wild energy of the first half of the show died down into the live rendition of “For Ella.” The song’s meaning is up for interpretation, but it carries the heaviness of a love song with the mantra: “Ella, Ella, you’re a shooting star.” In an interview with their record label ATO Records, Friko described the track as an “ode to classical music,” noting their use of violins and cellos in the track’s instrumentation. The live version at Smith’s was nothing short of breathtaking, transforming the song into something intimate and real.

They rounded out the last of the set with “Get Numb to It!” — a tense catharsis and chaotic resolution to the tumultuous sonic journey. It felt as though every crowd member was letting go of their problems through a sort of musical therapy while shouting, “And it doesn’t get better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it / So, you better get numb to it, get numb to it, get numb to it.” 

Friko didn’t just play the tired, old rock routine; they delivered an entire emotional experience at their show in Atlanta. The band is on a one-way trip to being indie rockstars, lapping others with their originality and ability to command a live audience. Rock is back, and Friko is leading the charge.

The post Concert review: Friko is reinventing rock appeared first on Technique.

Emerging from the DIY venues and bar shows of Atlanta’s underground music scene, local garage rock band Shake Awake has quickly garnered a reputation for their energy and thoughtful lyricism. Over the last two years, they have integrated themselves into the city’s underground alternative scene, playing house shows and iconic Atlanta venues like the Masquerade and Smith’s Olde Bar. Most recently, they played at Center Stage Vinyl on Feb. 21 alongside a lineup of Forrest Isn’t Dead, NITE and Aestrea.

The band is made up of Joseph Hawkins on vocals and bass, Tiernen Callahan on guitar and Alejo Guerra on drums. The trio has released three songs thus far, “Pithy,” “Kudzu Cutter” and “Shorthand,” and they are set to release their debut album this summer. If their show at Vinyl is anything to go by, the record will be chock-full of raging guitar licks, rocking drum fills and their signature clever lyrics.

Before the show, the Technique got the opportunity to sit down with the band and talk about their upcoming album, their musical inspirations and the ins and outs of Atlanta’s DIY music scene.

How did you all meet each other?

Guerra: I met Tiernen on a bench. We were in class together. I really wanted to look for people to jam with. I met Joseph through our KSU program’s music mixer. I wanted to perform, and he was like, “I can be a bass player,” and we played “Song 2” by Blur. That’s how I met him, and then I met Tiernen.

Callahan: What you don’t remember is we met like, three times.

Guerra: Yeah, but my first memory of him is on the bench. I just went to talk to him and said, “Hey, you play guitar. Let’s just jam and see what happens.”

Hawkins: Classic, from a jam session. We just jammed with a couple other people, and then we ended up sticking together. We didn’t know what we were going to do, or what we’d sound like, or what we would play. We were just like, “Let’s jam.”

How did you go from that to eventually releasing your first song “Pithy”?

Hawkins: We played shows before we even released anything which is kind of goofy.

Callahan: Yeah, but we played a couple shows just based on people we knew in the scene that were like, “Hey, do you wanna open up?” and we were like, “Why not?”

Hawkins: Tiernen has been around the scene a lot longer than we have … Our first show had an insane bill; it was with good bands.

Callahan: A lot of people showed up. 

Hawkins: There were a lot of people there. We play shows now where there’s less people than were there that night. That was like, okay, this is a real thing. We can play for real. We can play well together enough to get by. I’ve been playing music for a long time, but by myself, so I had a back catalog of songs that I got to bring to these guys and make them into the sound that we have now.

Guerra: We had five songs, I remember. … Then I went to study in Madrid for six months. … When I came back, we recorded “Pithy.” That was our most popular song, … and we recorded it in a basement. We started with five songs. We have ten now.

Hawkins: Yeah, only three released, but we have an album planned. We’ve been saying that for a long time, but we have eight songs tracked for this record, so we’re almost done. I’m very excited about it. It’s definitely going to have a summer rollout. We have some shows set up in May and July, so we’re going to try and do a June-ish release.

In “Kudzu Cutter,” there’s a lyric that says “shake awake” in it. Is that where the band name comes from?

Hawkins: I wrote that song when I was probably about 17 or 18, and the song was called “Shake Awake” for a long time. … We spent weeks where we were like, “Damn, we need to figure out a f***ing band name.” Then Alejo was like, “Well, let’s just call it ‘Shake Awake.’ Just use that name.”

Guerra: We all liked it…

Hawkins: We just had to rename that song. “Kudzu Cutter” is not a line in the song, but it’s representative of the lyrics of the song.

Guerra: I feel that song doesn’t get as much recognition as it should. I love it. “Pithy” overshadows “Kudzu Cutter,” but I love “Kudzu Cutter.”

Hawkins: I feel like most of the time when someone comes up, they’re like, “I really like ‘Kudzu Cutter,’” which is funny because “Pithy” gets all the streams. … There’s a remix of “Kudzu Cutter” coming out.

Guerra: It’s going to sound much better.

On your Instagram, you describe your music as “garage rock.” What does that mean?

Callahan: Messy. Most of the bands we play with are incredibly talented, just off the damn wall. We are good, Joseph’s a good songwriter. Instrumentally, we may be challenged.

Hawkins: I like that. We’re instrumentally challenged. We call it scrappy, sometimes. At least from the recording aspect, we have this philosophy of “if it can’t be done in real life, we don’t like it on a record.” Garage rock is jamming in a garage, … so in the recorded stuff, we don’t like to do super clean, perfect takes because it’s not [who we are].

You’ve made a name for yourself in Atlanta’s local music scene. How did you get involved in that?

Callahan: In high school, I just went to every local show I could find. Most weekdays and weekends, I was going to shows every night. I was in a band previously called Bummer Hill, and being in that band was how we got Shake Awake’s first gig.

Hawkins: Bummer Hill is awesome. They’re killing the game.

What was your first show together like?

Hawkins: Our first show was good. It was really good. If it hadn’t gone so well, we would have been less inclined to keep going. It went really well, except Tiernen had a little issue.

Callahan: Well, that was a gear issue. The bill was Shake Awake started, and Bummer Hill ended, and somewhere in that between point, my amp s*** the bed. The Bummer Hill set was not as good or as fun.

Hawkins: He played two sets that night.

Callahan: That was our best show for a long time.

Hawkins: It was.

What are your favorite aspects of local music?

Hawkins: The cheesy answer is to say the community of seeing bands support each other, but I think that there’s an immense amount of talent. As a songwriter, seeing other bands that write these really amazing songs and knowing them personally, it shows you how real it really is.

Speaking of [the Atlanta music scene], who are your favorite local bands and artists?

Hawkins: The Outfield Clovers are one of the bigger bands, for sure. I’m a big fan of Recess Party. They’re dope. Their album “Foot.” [The title track] is a fire song.

Guerra: Pinto Sunshine. The drummer is amazing. The whole band is amazing.

Hawkins: Yeah, they are some world-class musicians. [Getting into local music] takes a minute. We’re fans of Kapoorhouse. They do a good job of reporting on what’s going on [in the scene]. That’s where we started getting into things. We would check out Kapoorhouse to see who’s playing, shows of the week, posts they make. It’s useful stuff. I also follow @atl.diy on Instagram. They post show posters every week of what’s coming up.

How has being in Atlanta shaped your music?

Hawkins: These other awesome bands.

Guerra: I feel very blessed that we are in Atlanta. … If I lived in Nebraska, there wouldn’t be [as much] opportunity with music.

Hawkins: There’s venues that we love here too.

Callahan: There’s multiple underground venues. That’s huge. Rather than like, one dive bar.

Hawkins: We get to play stages that I’ve been going to since I was young, like the Masquerade. I was going to shows, seeing … national artists there, and then we got to play there because we live next to it. We’ve probably played the Masquerade more than any other venue, like six or seven times.

What are some of your musical inspirations, both artist-wise and genre-wise?

Callahan: I really like Ty Segal, like stoner doom, doom metal type stuff. It’s the only type of riffs I can write, at least currently. I like surf punk stuff, like Beach Goons.

Hawkins: I’m huge into stuff like that as well, but I’m really into things that have really great songwriting. Car Seat Headrest is my favorite contemporary band. I say that every time anyone asks; I love that band. Pavement is a huge inspiration, a lot of late ’90s stuff I really like … Pavement, Pixies and Modest Mouse are some bigger names that really inspire the way we do our instrumentation.

Guerra: I don’t listen to much rock at all. I grew up with EDM. I started as a DJ. Deadmau5, college music is what I started with. … Turnstile was the only band I listened to, but I would see videos on YouTube of the drummer playing drums, and I said, “I have to be as cool as him.” I started [during] quarantine … when I was 20, kind of late, but I saw him play drums, and his way of playing is my way of playing. So Turnstile 100%. Daniel Fang. He’s just very passionate when he plays drums. I like that.

Your latest song is called “Shorthand.” Tell me how that came about.

Hawkins: Originally, it was called “Pirates.”

Guerra: Because it sounds like “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Hawkins: Yeah, that opening riff that Tiernen wrote, Alejo goes, “Yeah, sounds like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’” Not to get too lofty, but a lot of the Shake Awake lyrics are based on language. The way you use language affects what you mean and what you mean affects what you say. Shorthand, the word, means writing something in a way that you can read specifically, but pithy means expressing a big idea in a short phrase … “Shorthand” is another language song. [Some lyrics are] “I don’t speak carefully. … Destiny is a clever thing.”

Callahan: [Joseph’s] songwriting is really good. We don’t do it justice with the instrumentation.

Hawkins: That’s what’s cool about it, man.

Guerra: I disagree. I actually think the simplicity of our songs actually favors us. We’re not as talented as many other local musicians, but simple works, and it sounds good.

Hawkins: It lends itself to songwriting as well. Like, it’s easy to write a song and really dig in [with the] lyrics over chords that aren’t super crazy.

Do you have any fun memories from the shows that you’ve done?

Callahan: We did a Halloween show. [Joseph] was Bob Dylan.

Hawkins: We did do that. That was our second show ever. Alejo was out of town for that, so we had to have a fill-in. I was Bob Dylan because I’m a huge Dylan fan. Tiernen wore a dress; he was Debbie Harry. It was awesome.

Guerra: When we play, sometimes we get very into it. [The crowd] can all feel it when we play “Ghost of the Mantis.” There’s a certain riff we all play, and we’re all tuned in. You can tell we’re all locked in.

Hawkins: It has a riff that we are really big fans of. It’s going to be the last track on the album, and most likely, [that’s what] the album will be called.

Do you have a favorite song to play live?

Guerra: “Shorthand” because that’s where the drums [get to shine].

Hawkins: Me and Tiernen both like to play “Mantis.” It’s the longest song, too. It has a few time changes and stuff.

What’s next for you guys? You mentioned the album, any shows [or] projects that you’re looking forward to?

Hawkins: Well, we’re going to be on Georgia Tech radio, WREK. We are playing the 18th of March, so that’ll be great. Then we’re going to get to the studio to do some other recording. We’re going to probably track these two songs in the studio soon, and then we’ll be done. That’ll be really awesome. I’ve handed off most of the stuff to our producers, so it’s almost there … We’re hoping for a mid-summer release so we can play a bunch of shows during the summer and promote it. We’re very excited about it.

You can stream Shake Awake’s music on Spotify and Apple Music. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming album and new shows on their Instagram @shakeawakeband.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

The post Artist spotlight: Atlanta rock trio Shake Awake appeared first on Technique.

On Feb. 12, jazz-inspired surf rock could be heard emanating from Atlanta’s Center Stage Vinyl as San Diego band Foxtide took to the venue’s stage to play for the enamored crowd. The group is fresh off the release of their debut album “Chaos,” and they set off on tour across the United States and Canada to bring their surfy tunes to even the most land-locked places.

The band consists of singer/guitarist Elijah Gibbons-Croft, bassist Oey James, guitarist Dom Friedly and drummer Ian Robles. Since their inception in 2019, they have played alongside a huge repertoire of indie greats including the Backseat Lovers, Beach Goons, Sarah and the Sundays and, most recently, the Backfires this past month. 

The Technique had the opportunity to catch up with the band at Center Stage Vinyl and talk about how tour has been, the band’s future projects, and even the crazy burrito mishaps they have encountered while traveling the country.

So to start off, how’d you all meet and get started as a band?

Gibbons-Croft: We met through a few ways, but I met Oey through high school parties and mutual friends. I would always go to his high school’s gatherings or parties or whatever it was.

James: A couple fateful nights.

Gibbons-Croft: Then we just [hear] …  “Oh, this guy plays music,” so you find out who the musicians are pretty fast. One day, I [reached out] like, “Hey, like, we should jam together. We should get together sometime.” Another homie who also went to his school named Dom was in some bands, locally and stuff. I heard his name thrown around, and I invited him too. So, just very [much] on a whim.

James: Yeah, I think I had [maybe] five days’ notice until my first show. “You’re in the band, learn all the songs.” I was like, “Okay,” and then it’s just head first.

Robles: I was really close to Dom, and then they needed somebody to sub in for a couple gigs, and then I was there and I never left.

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, I think the first time we all started playing together, it just worked, and we really liked where it was going. We wrote two songs the first time we all got together, so it was good vibes.

Who are some of your musical influences?

Gibbons-Croft: There’s way too many of them right here, but starting off, the classics. We got the Beatles. I think Oey and I really both found our admiration for the Beatles in our writing.

James: [The] one college course I took my whole life was a whole class on the Beatles, and then I was just like, “Oh, this is sick.” So all of last year, that was all I listened to, and then all their solo stuff, respectively

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, and as a band: The [Rolling] Stones, [Led] Zeppelin, The Strokes, Her’s, Arctic Monkeys, the list goes on. I think there’s so many inspirations, bands and artists. It’s kind of hard sometimes to be like, “Oh, I make this music, but I listen to all of these,” you know?

James: We have some influences that we all kind of get together and look up to, like those bands… and then beyond that, we all have our own unique music taste that we kind of bring in.

Gibbons-Croft: Right, and that’s what makes bands special. Because I personally love Mk.gee and draw a lot of inspiration from him recently, or Prince. I grew up with Marvin Gaye and a lot of ‘90s R&B, listening to Sade or the Dixie Chicks.

Robles: I’m just completely taken by jazz. I love Tony Williams, Steve Wyman. He’s this modern jazz guy. Of course, you can’t go wrong with the classic rock icons too, like John Bonham. Oh, [The] Smashing Pumpkins too. How could I forget?

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, and System Of A Down.

Robles: Oh yeah! How do you know more about what I like than me?

Gibbons-Croft: I like that stuff, heavy and jazz.

Robles: Yeah, polar opposites.

You mentioned the Beatles. Are you excited for the Beatles’ biopics?

James: Yeah, I think so. I watched the Bob Dylan biopic, and I was like, “Oh, that was actually pretty good.” They did a good job. I think biopics are hard to do. It’s also just a lot to cram in, so I think if they do it where they choose very specific points in each of their [lives] and kind of do it like that, I think that would be cool, and I would be happy with that. I just hope it’s not like, “We’re gonna do all ten years of The Beatles.”

Robles: Who’s playing Ringo? I need to know.

Gibbons-Croft: You.

Robles: Me?

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah.

If each of you guys had a theme song, what would it be?

James: “I Got a Name” by Jim Croce or “Pictures of Me” by Elliott Smith.

Robles: What’s the name of the Jack Johnson song in “Curious George”? Oh, “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson.

Gibbons-Croft: I’d probably choose “Gypsy Woman” by Joe Bataan.

James: “Across The Universe” too. It’s not really an anthem, but it’s a good sentiment.

Gibbons-Croft: “Alesis” Mk.gee. That’s pretty theme-y, I guess.

Your debut album came out last December. What was the process of making that?

James: It was all over the place. We’ve had some of those songs for a year, year and a half, and then some of them we’d only had for a number of months. While we were working on the album, it’d be like, “Oh, we have this one too.” “Train Tracks” [and] “Pretty Pictures” just came together… It’s great to have projects that you’re working on with a strong start, and then being able to just, “Oh, let’s add this. Let’s add this,” and then [make] it cohesive through that.

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, I think this album is like a direct timestamp of the last year so, and I think it does a really good job of showing what we’ve been up to and showing where our heads are at. Because, like Oey said, there’s not really a rhyme or reason necessarily to it. [There’s no] “We’re gonna sit down and write eight songs for an album.” It just kind of happened, and it happened to be what we thought was a good collection of work. I think we’re very fortunate to even come across that because just because you have … eight songs doesn’t mean you have an album.

James: It feels good to have an album out, too. An EP is great, singles are great, but an album is like: that’s an album.

Gibbons-Croft: I think we definitely pushed ourselves. The process was like… this has to be better than what we’ve been doing.

Robles: All those were written in completely different places, and I feel like it really captures the essence of where we were at. I remember, for the ones that I tracked, I remember exactly how I felt in that moment. Like Elijah said, I feel like it captures the last year really well.

How do you think your sound has evolved throughout your EPs to, now, the album?

Gibbons-Croft: It’s got a more cohesive nature to it. We’re getting closer and closer to getting the sound out of our head [and] onto the track. It’s really hard to ever get there, but we’re getting closer and closer every time.

Robles: I feel like the ice has been broken in a sense … We’re starting to really get comfortable with one another and on our respective instruments too. It feels very personal, very intimate, and I feel like we’re getting pretty vulnerable now.

James: I think we’re just overall experimenting in general and just trying new things. It’s like we somewhat know what works sometimes or have different motifs that we’ll keep across certain songs, but we’re not limited by that at all, just trying to expand and do new stuff in every song.

How has the tour been so far? Have there been any fun or memorable moments?

Gibbons-Croft: Dude, we were even on tour this time last year. That was our first tour. We got arrested … We got into Bohemian Grove, and we’ll just leave it at that. And this tour, we got pulled over in Canada, but the Canadians are super nice, so they let us go.

James: Searched our van. [They] didn’t find anything.

Robles: We only had lemons, to clear the air. We literally had nothing.

James: Which is a big problem, you’re not supposed to bring produce.

Robles: We forgot we had lemons …

Gibbons-Croft: [A] highlight would be keeping warm.

James: We’re California boys. We’re not used to snow and the rain.

Robles: Yeah, it has been treacherous.

Gibbons-Croft: Highlights though show-wise, I’d said New York City. D.C. and New York were freaking awesome.

James: Chicago was good too.

Robles: Chicago was really good. Wieners Circle. That was the highlight of the tour. Go to Wieners Circle … No, seriously, ask for a chocolate shake. It’s awesome.

James: Other highlights have just been being delirious with all the boys and just like laughing our asses off about literally nothing.

Do you have a favorite song to perform at shows?

Robles: All of us have different favorite songs to perform. “All I C,” I really like “All I C.”

Gibbons-Croft: I’m gonna say, “I Didn’t Mean It.”

Robles: Oh yeah, lately it’s been really fun to play, but I still pick “All I C.”

James: “Pilot Wings.” That one’s got energy…

Do you have a favorite gas station snack to get when you’re on tour?

Robles: We have a least favorite. Everybody had the burrito …

Gibbons-Croft: Oey comes to the tour van, [and] he’s like, “Guys, like, there’s warm burritos.” We’re all so frigid and cold, and we’re in upstate New York.

James: They were big, too. $5 for a burrito. 

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, it was a good deal, seemingly. We’re all like, “Hell yeah,” and then we all go buy one, and we’re just eating them together. It’s a good moment. We’re all just like, halfway through, “Oh man. I don’t feel so good, bro.”

Robles: Because it was cheese sauce, and it was just like the wettest burrito ever.

James: Spare the details.

Have you been to Buc-ee’s?

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, Buc-ee’s is great. Favorite snack is beef jerky and chips…

Robles: We’re trying really hard not to eat unhealthy, especially after the burrito day.

James: Says Ian after downing a Carl’s Jr.

Robles: I’ve been so good about my diet. It was my reward, dude.

Gibbons-Croft: I’d say the home-cooked meals that we’ve been getting on tour have kept the morale high. It gets you through the gas station days.

What’s next for you guys? Do you have any upcoming projects or goals that you’re looking forward to?

Gibbons-Croft: We’re actually announcing another tour tomorrow. We’re hitting the West Coast again, a lot of California. I think there’s four shows in California, and then we’re doing Portland, Seattle [and] three shows in Canada.

James: We won’t bring lemons this time.

Gibbons-Croft: Yeah, tell Justin Trudeau it’s chill. We come in peace. Then we are working on the next album.

James: We got a surprise on March 6.

Gibbons-Croft: We do have a surprise on March 6. [A] hint would be that the album cover has ten people on it, but there’s only eight tracks out right now

Robles: So what does that mean? What does that mean?

Foxtide’s music is streaming on all platforms, and you can catch them on tour this spring in the West Coast and Canada. 

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

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Atlanta’s Vinyl at Center Stage Theater became a haven for all indie music lovers last Wednesday as Ax and the Hatchetmen took up residence in the iconic venue for the night. While the band is still relatively new to the scene, the show sold out: a testament to the band’s already avid fanbase.

Ax and the Hatchetmen is a six-piece band out of the Chicago indie scene where they all met while attending college. They are led by vocalist/guitarist Axel Ellis, (aka Ax), and his Hatchetmen: Sal Defilippis, Hunter Olshefke, Nick Deputy, Quinn Dolan and Phil Pistone. Rather than the typical vocals-guitar-bass-drums setup, the band has an additional horns section which makes for an unconventional approach to run-of-the-mill indie pop. Especially when performing live, the trumpet and saxophone players give the show an added grit, making the music come to life more tangibly right in front of the audience.

The last time the band was in Atlanta, it was for the city’s annual Shaky Knees Music Festival last May. The festival marked their live debut of the Tiktok-viral hit “Flagstaff” which garnered nearly 400k views on the platform. The band has come a long way since then, touring the country on their “Way Too Late” tour and dropping numerous new tracks like “Sunscreen,” “Love Songs,” “Mele Kalikimaka” and “Stay // Honestly.”

Atlanta was one of the first stops on the second leg of the “Way Too Late” tour, and fans came ready for a good time. The concert’s demographics were representative of the band’s target audience; there was a heavy concentration of “I listen to cooler music than you” boys in baggy JNCO jeans and girls with digital cameras looking for aesthetic Instagram shots.

After two fun, head-bopping opening sets from Atlanta’s own Geskle and Charleston’s Easy Honey, Ax and the Hatchetmen arrived onstage and opened with “Flagstaff,” a popular choice considering the crowd’s approving screams. The venue filled with the band’s signature uplifting sound, characterized by the telltale clear tone of their Gretsch guitars.

Despite the venue’s almost unbearable heat, the band gave the performance their full energy. Ellis could be seen countless times throughout the night doing parkour on the stage’s speakers, and their interactions with the audience were both sweet and spirited. At one point during the night, Defilippis posed a silly question to the crowd, asking if they would rather only drink warm water or work on a labor-intensive farm for the rest of their life. The answer was a resounding “Farm!” from the audience.

Although some fans might have been disappointed by the band’s failure to play some of their early songs, namely “Peach Trees” and “Mako,” the audience was just as excited their new ones. Many people in the crowd seemed to know every word to even the most recently released tracks, a surprising and impressive feat considering “Stay // Honestly” was released just two weeks ago.

After the band played fan-favorite “Goofy,” road trip anthem “Utah” and a cover of Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks,” they left the stage, and the crowd immediately started the “One more song!” chant. Olshefke popped back on the stage to teasingly say, “We really have to go, guys. Unless…” He then led the crowd into chanting, “Ax and the Hatchet! Ax and the Hatchet!”

Finally, the rest of the band made a reappearance and leaped into the energetic “Where tf Did I Park My Car.” The final song of the night was a cover of “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone, a surprising choice, but a good one as it allowed the venue to sing the final song all together.

Fans have lots to look forward to from this up-and-coming band. A debut album is presumably in the works for them, as well as the rest of the U.S. “Way Too Late” tour. Don’t miss this opportunity to become one of Ax and the Hatchetmen’s early listeners, and check out their music on all streaming platforms now.

The post Ax and the Hatchetmen bring summertime indie to Vinyl appeared first on Technique.

If you’re looking for a dose of serotonin, a Hippo Campus concert is the place to find it. The indie pop band’s cult following packed the Eastern on Jan. 29, turning a run-of-the-mill Wednesday night into something of a family reunion, unifying fans, new and old, with the music that connects them all.

The band is fresh off the release of their fourth studio album, “Flood,” which dropped last September. The record develops the characteristic Hippo Campus sound even further, taking their lyrics deeper and exposing a vulnerable and grounded side to the group that was missing in their previous releases. Rather than being an album that you can obsessively tear through, “Flood” is more so something that you carry around in your back pocket, revisiting and rediscovering hidden stories and clever lyrics over time.

Hippo Campus famously took a while to release the new album, spending about two years writing and scrapping nearly 100 songs. During that time, they went through lots of personal growth together as a band, and they eventually recorded the final version of “Flood” which vocalist Jake Luppen described to Billboard saying, “[The album] is like being naked in a lit room with a mirror held up to you, and being like, ‘Embrace this.’ It’s a testament to all the things we need to be doing to take care of ourselves and live better.”

Needless to say, fans were thrilled to see the band’s new songs live, excitedly chattering away as they filed into the Eastern’s wide, theater-like space. As opener Mei Semones took to the stage, the crowd’s voices came to an abrupt halt, and Semones swiftly filled the silence with her indie-infused J-pop. A relative newcomer in the music scene, she has quickly found her sound, toggling her lyrics between Japanese and English and incorporating an almost Laufey-esque jazz influence in her delivery. As she noted a few times during the set, her debut album is set to release this summer.

Following Semones’s performance, Hippo Campus arrived as four silhouettes and began their show, glowing under the back-lit, colorful LEDs. From the guy in the front row yelling every lyric to the two girls in the middle of the pit swinging each other around, it was hard to find a place in the venue where concertgoers weren’t having the time of their lives. The band played off of their energy, pointing to their most passionate fans across the barricade.

They performed a harmonious blend of both new and old songs from their discography, catering to the appetite of any level of fan. The show’s most powerful moment was their performance of “South.” The song’s transcendent, self-empowering message to carry on through hardships reverberated between the walls of the venue, and the crowd echoed every word back to the band. During the song’s bridge, guitarist/vocalist Nathan Stocker turned his mic stand around to let the crowd take control, and they repeated together, “You go down south, south // You go down south.”

One of the quintessential characteristics of a Hippo Campus show is Luppen’s use of hard autotune during some songs, most notably in the band’s most streamed track “Buttercup.” However, for them, it’s not so much a vocal crutch as it is an artistic choice to give their set a change of pace. It remains a controversial topic amongst the band’s fans who argue whether or not it is necessary or distracting; however, it undeniably is a part of the band’s live sound and what sets them apart from other groups.

After electric performances of songs like “Suicide Saturday” and “baseball,” the band encored “Way It Goes” and closed the show, thanking Atlanta and the concertgoers for contributing to the fantastic night. The audience filed out of the venue soon after, with music echoing in their hearts and smiles etched on their faces.

Catch Hippo Campus on their “Flood” tour this spring, and listen to their newest album on all streaming platforms. More info can be found at hippocampus.band.

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Existing in the plane between existential contemplation and playful musicality, ethereal rock group Boyscott is the indie realm’s best-kept secret. With their latest album “Spellbound,” the band continues to evolve their unique chamber-pop sound that initially captured listeners’ attention on their first record “Goose Bumps.”

“Spellbound” focuses less on literal storytelling and instead utilizes rolling melodies and soft rock vibes to create a conceptual soundscape with a distinct New England-esque feel. In fact, the band’s frontman Scott Hermo Jr. hails from New Jersey and attended college in Nashville, both of which significantly influenced the album.

“I write stuff that I enjoy, and when I’m away from those areas, I tend to write about them even more because I’m reminiscing on it,” Hermo said in an interview with the Technique before their Atlanta show.

The band’s debut album contains a similar ocean-themed thesis with standout songs “Killer Whale” and “Nova Scotia 500.” The record was originally released in 2015, when Hermo was just a sophomore in college, and it has since garnered more than 80 million Spotify streams. Despite being released eight years later, “Spellbound” and “Goose Bumps” are deeply interconnected, according to Hermo.

“They’re kind of conjoined twins in a way, but twins that were born eight years apart because a lot of the songs on this new record are actually very old,” Hermo said. Songs like “Fell” and “Orca” off of “Spellbound” were written around the time of their first album’s inception but not finalized or released until this fall.

“It took me a long time because I just wanted the new [album] to feel fresher, to feel like a next step. After I released this first album, ‘Goose Bumps,’ I got really self-conscious because [it] was like, ‘Oh, shoot. People are listening,’ and that scared me.”

All reservations fell away when Boyscott released “Spellbound” in Oct. 2024. Hermo is quick to express his pride in the album, but also to explain how it helped him grow and accept imperfection. “There’s parts here and there that I listen to, and I’m like, ‘I could have done that better,’ or whatever, but I’m learning to let go and accept. That comes with art.”

Hermo showcases this growth with the album’s lead single “Rocky Road.” It is an instant earworm with its dulcet and comforting tones, driven by an uplifting guitar riff and Hermo’s whispery vocals. As with many of the band’s songs, Hermo’s voice morphs into its own instrument and blends into the track to add to its dream-like tranquility.

In addition to simply loving Rocky Road ice cream, Hermo found inspiration for the song in the phrase’s double meaning: “It was a play on words because that song is about tour and being on the road and the scary nature of that … the uneven terrain of a bumpy road.”

The songwriting process has not changed much for Hermo since his college DIY days messing around with GarageBand and Logic Pro X. “It’s a lot of listening back to myself and a lot of intentional creativity. … [It’s] mostly just me in my room with my speakers and a computer bouncing ideas off each other.” Hermo cited independent artists Alex G, Pinegrove and Frankie Cosmos as his main influences; their success in the DIY, bedroom pop world was motivation to initially record and release his music.

Hermo’s journey from college until now is reflected in the advice he gives to college students who are looking to start a career in music: “Get involved in your local scene. When you’re out at a show, be outgoing, say ‘What’s up?’ to people, … and be creative. Don’t be afraid to mess around.”

While on tour across the U.S., Boyscott made an Atlanta stop in Purgatory at the Masquerade to a peaceful crowd of concert-goers who gathered to appreciate the group’s music. They played new songs like “After Dark” and “Arthur Kill,” but also dipped into the archives with “Embarrassingly Enough” and surprise song “RIP Sophie Moore” off of “Goose Bumps.”

Next time you find yourself enjoying some Rocky Road ice cream, give “Spellbound” a listen on all music platforms, or better yet, attend one of their live shows. More info can found at boyscott.bigcartel.com.

The post Indie rock group Boyscott talks ice cream and the art of letting go appeared first on Technique.

On Oct. 16, Hell at the Masquerade turned heavenly thanks to alternative pop rock artist Joe P. Hailing from Asbury Park, New Jersey where major artists like Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen got their start, Joe P heeds his indie origins and ventures to make experimental pop appealing to the masses.

After becoming the frontman of New Jersey indie band Deal Casino when he was only in eighth grade, Joe P branched off with an EP entitled “Emily Can’t Sing” in 2021. In the release, he experiments instrumentally with a synth-driven sound in “Leaves” and a dreamy, ethereal pop aesthetic in “Going to California” and “Yellow Lights.” It is not until the EP’s crown jewel “Off My Mind,” that he successfully finds his sonic niche with the song’s empowering vocals.

He followed up that release with a second EP “French Blonde” in 2022 and his first full-length album “Garden State Vampire” in August 2024.  If an album is a work of art, then “Garden State Vampire” is a Kadinsky painting — an entirely abstract collection of shapes and colors that bestows deep-rooted familiarity and comfort on its observer. Joe P is able to twist together his classic pop-appealing songs with some grittier, harder rock tracks in an effort to experiment and evolve his work.

Embarking on tour to celebrate his debut album, Joe P stopped in Atlanta in Hell at the Masquerade, the venue’s 550-person capacity stage nestled in the back of Underground Atlanta. The show was opened by emerging indie pop artist Anna Shoemaker. While her set was performed acoustically and solo, it was certainly not understated; she was able to utilize her enormous vocals to control the space and the silence that preceded the show.

She took the time to interact with the crowd and discuss her upcoming music which included a song called “Game of Thrones” that was set to release that Friday. Many of the songs that she played were from her upcoming record “Someone Should Stop Her” which will drop in February of next year. She unquestionably has the beginnings of an indie sweetheart, soon to be revealed with the release of her album.

When Joe P took to the stage and began “Everybody’s Different,” the crowd was immediately wide awake, courtesy of his wild, slightly-too-loud music. The venue was bathed in rapid, colorful lighting, the perfect atmosphere to match with his flashy, riotous songs.

Joe P is an artist whose live and recorded music are two entirely separate entities. While his recorded songs are usually chill tunes to bop along to while driving, his live music gives way to a darker, wilder form of rockstar. Much of that persona can be attributed to his enormous stage presence that he inhabits with ease, moving and dancing with his music in a way that makes his own enjoyment blatantly apparent.

His second song of the night was the popular “Fighting in the Car.” The track is a testament to Joe P’s careful and intricate songwriting. Many songs in his genre of music lose their lyrical value as a sacrifice for their overall catchiness, usually an attempt to surface level attention-grab on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels.

Joe P’s music is anything but surface level. In “Fighting in the Car,” he sings, “The inmate loves the prison guard / The one who feeds him through the bars” as an allusion to the Stockholm Syndrome associated with a failing relationship. Later during “Birthday Baby (The Girl with No Smile),” he sings for a friend, “You hide your heartbeat / In a box under the bed / But it makes too much noise down there / So you swallow it up instead,” as encouragement to stop burying emotions.

Midway through the set, Joe P explained that many of his songs are unintentionally flower-themed such as “Violet” and “Lily.” This theming has become an inside joke with fans as a group in the front row brought a bouquet for the singer. 

One of Joe P’s more out-there tracks is “guilt. hole,” which is ridden with a scratchy guitar that translated well live. The dirtier rock influence on the song is jarring compared to his more upbeat tunes, but it suits him in an unexplainable way. While the song acts like huge crashing waves in a tumultuous sea, his vocals provide a lifeboat, never wavering or falling in line with the dark instrumentation.

After a brief skip off stage to give the illusion of the show ending, Joe P came right back out to sing a cover of “You Are My Sunshine.” While it was an unexpected twist in the concert’s vibe, he ended up transitioning it into his biggest and most anticipated song “Off My Mind.” The track’s rising chorus builds and brought the crowd’s excitement up with it as they sang just as loud, if not louder, than Joe P.

The show as a whole was electric, and it speaks to the importance of live music. Seeing an artist live reveals an entirely new side of them that may not have been present in the studio versions of their songs. Concerts are a powerful facet of the music industry, reigniting the love fans have for the artist and fostering the passion that music elicits. Joe P did just that, bringing a fun, invigorating night to those gathered at the Masquerade.

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