VERONICA PENOYER
Special to The Leader
Saturday, Feb. 3 was an eventful night at Ellicott Brewing Company for music buffs all around. Lady Lush and the Vinyls, a band consisting of Fredonia alumni that identify themselves as soul-pop, played an incredible four-hour set full of pop covers and their creations of new age soul.
For years, Fredonia students have brought the musical talent from every genre. Students have loved to hear live music at the local bars, as well as at house parties. Although EBC isn’t exactly known for drawing mass numbers of college students, the music created by Lady Lush and the Vinyls drew a sold-out crowd. Their unique range of songs from “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons and “Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked” by Cage The Elephant, to “Running,” a song off their first album Bad Thangs, kept the crowd engaged and dancing the entire night.
The recent pop songs they chose to cover weren’t the only things that kept the audience listening; it was the elegant chemistry the lead vocalist, Sophia Howes, and the vocal percussionist, Raphael Santos, had that made their sound unforgettable. Howes had inconceivable range in her voice, from the highest high to the lowest low, all while keeping a graceful and precise expression, as if she hadn’t lost a breath. But what made the two singers compatible was Santos’ ability to follow her voice in sync. He matched her rhythm and note to perfection while showing his vocal abilities in every range. The two were perfection by themselves, but together, they were mesmerizing.
“Their harmony was good, and was definitely the highlight of the performance,” said Anthony Lasnik, a senior history major. “The third vocalist was better at spoken words. He was always a surprise when he was in the picture. I always saw myself waiting for the girl and guy to come together at the end of every song.”
That third vocalist, Shawn Romero, was a surprise addition. His rendition of “Radioactive” didn’t quite live up to the perfection of Howes and Santos. Every cover they sang was mixed to match their version of soul-pop; however, the popular Imagine Dragons song was too much like the original and didn’t fit into the set. Romero clearly had the ability to harmonize with Howes and Santos as they sang together in other songs during the night, but this song was not an adequate introduction of his capabilities.
“He was talking rather than singing. I feel like this song is too popular to be covered, and it didn’t fit in with the overall sound they were creating,” said Danielle Kohnke, a junior psychology major. “They drew me back in at the end of the song when all three of them sang together. That’s when their style came back into the song.”
As with every new band, there are downfalls. A bar stage, or lack thereof, doesn’t necessarily have the best quality stage equipment. The lack of distinction between the band and the audience was unreal.
EBC didn’t have the space and set-up for a band size of six. As the lead vocalist, Howes should be seen clearly up front with Santos and Romero. Instead, she was hidden behind Santos, almost as if she should have had an instrument in her hand instead of a microphone. To go along with the lack of space, the microphones had a lot of feedback if they were too close to each other. That happened multiple times in the middle of the songs and made the audience reach to protect their ears.
“We have played some pretty interesting venues. None of them necessarily worse than the other,” said Santos. “We usually make it work, although since there’s six of us, we have had to get REALLY cozy on some smaller stages.”
The overall lack of stage did not give the band visual justice for their high quality sound; however, they made up for it in physical appearance. As individuals, they created their own style of black fashion while blending together to create their unique interpretation of what modern day soul-pop would look like in physical form. Howes was dressed in black lace with long red hair that allowed for her to stand out more, as the lead vocalist should. Santos himself stood out with his long tasteful braids, even though he was also dressed in all black.
Lady Lush have been together for four years. They met at Fredonia, where they studied different majors from classical voice to music education. Despite having opportunities in their fields of study, music has always pulled them in the other direction. When they formally made the band, they knew they wanted to channel the classic “blank and the blank” formula for creating a name, the same formula created during the Motown era. But their name isn’t the only uniqueness they’ve created. Eamon Rahyn is the mastermind behind the lyrics.
“We are just trying to bring truth and accessibility to our music,” Santos remarks about the meaning of their songs. “We want anyone who appreciates music to not only enjoy listening to our jams, but to take something away from it, whether it helps you get through a low point you may be going through, or helps light your fire and inspire to do more than you’re doing. Our main aim is to keep the integrity of our music.”
The overall performance was one for the books. For an up-and-coming band, this performance definitely sent a message that they will be successful in the future. Their next live performance is in Buffalo at Gypsy Parlor for a going-away concert. Lady Lush and the Vinyls made Fredonia alumni proud.