Small Talk was halfway through its set. The lights had reached a comfortable dim. The band had moved through “Brothers,” a staple from its most recent EP, and a cover of “Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala. Sean Seaver, MCAS ’16, flicked with the intro of “2×2,” the last single released under the band’s former name Seaver’s Express. And out came Brian Seaver, older brother and former co-frontman of the band started by his younger brother. It was a fun throwback for anyone who knows the history of the band, and even if you didn’t, it was probably fun to watch the Seavers hop around on stage together like little kids.
The Music Guild’s Fall Concert, the first of two showcases this semester, didn’t have the suspense, hubbub, or high drama of the Battle of the Bands which culminates at Arts Fest. But where the Battle of the Bands is fueled competition—of the friendly kind at least—the Fall Concert had six acts playing music separately, but somehow together, in the same spirit at least.
Dan Lyle, MCAS ’16, got the festivities started. Lyle, who goes by The Island, set up his R&B operation to the side of the stage with his laptop and synthesizer. What Lyle does is atmospheric in nature. He takes seemingly generic sounds, such as house R&B, and inserts himself—sometimes his voice, but he often simply draws out and warps the tune.
The Kelleher Sisters—Megan, LSOE ’16, and Katie, CSOM ’18—followed with three covers—Surfjan Steven’s “Chicago,” a Civil Wars cover, and a medley of Drake’s “Hold on We’re Going Home” and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s “Home.” All three arrangements allowed the pair to wind their voices around each others, dipping in and away from each other’s before ultimately coming back.
Emanuel Laguerre, WCAS ’18, brought his confessional style of rap to the stage next. Backed by a full band, Phenom V works with similar motifs as other up-and-coming rappers—I started at the bottom and I’m gonna make it to the top—but he backed it up on Saturday with enough stage sweat and earnest wordplay to win over the audience.
The ever-entertaining Juice followed Small Talk. A lot of words have already been devoted to defining the Juice experience in this paper. But to add to our ever-growing volume dedicated to Juice, on Saturday Juice went back to well for “How You Gonna Do Me Like That” and a few other earlier cuts from the band. They even added a throwback Kanye jam—“Gold Digger.” And predictably, gloriously the band ended their short set with “Where I Wanna Be.”
William Bolton, CSOM ’16, closed the show. The Motown-bred singer/producer hit the crowd with classic “Summer Breeze,” and even premiered “When Will I Know” from upcoming album Love Supreme. Bolton, the guy with the catchy hooks and shirts, is as sure as they come on stage. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Featured Image by Julia Hopkins / Heights Staff
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