Photo by Rebecca Hale/Reverb Editor
KRIS HARRIS
Special to The Leader
On Aug. 26, the energy never died at BJ’s as the bar held its first show of the new school year. The room was packed wall-to-wall with not only students, but residents of Fredonia as well, who were eager to hear what the night had in store with Albert the Fish and Second Trip on the bill.
Albert the Fish, up first, immediately captivated the crowd. The band, which contains Helen Lowry on vocals, Jabari Noel on guitar, Jess LaBella on bass and Riley Voigt on drums, seemed natural on stage, with the members constantly rocking back and forth in unison.
Early on in the show, after the phenomenal guitar solo by Noel that had the crowd in an uproar, the player broke his string, calling out to the audience from some help. Luckily, Second Trip’s guitar player could help. After a little rhythm improvisation between LaBella and Voigt, the set resumed with their songs “The War Inside” and “The Great Wave” in the mix.
There was even a cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Breaking the Girl,” who the band cites as an inspiration along with Muse and Florence and the Machine. Still, the group made it clear they are not trying to chase a certain sound.
“I think the cool thing about our particular setup is that we all bring unique different feels to the table. We kind of just mesh them together,” commented LaBella.
“Each song is a different experience. Every time we try to come together, we try to make a new idea,” added Noel.
An experience was definitely given by the band on their first show back in Fred.
Junior Pat Sheena, a music education and economics double major, simply responded to their performance, “they can shred.” After a small break and equipment change, the stage was then set for Second Trip’s first show at BJ’s. The band did not disappoint.
Photo by Rebecca Hale/Reverb Editor
The three-piece band, containing Jeff Martinez on bass and vocals, Jose Alas on drums and Joshua Gartley on guitar and vocals, introduced themselves with a wall of sound that filled the whole bar. Bullet-like snare drums, powerful bass lines and engrossing melodies bounced off the sticker-covered walls of the bar. So did the members; Martinez was constantly bouncing on the side wall, submitting to the music.
Martinez and Alas have known each other since attending high school together in Florida, with Gartley coming to the mix later in the band’s history when they moved to Western New York, frustrated with the Florida music scene.
The band, now situated in Buffalo, was excited for the show and brought that enthusiasm to their performance.
Second Trip didn’t care about the time, playing song after song late into the night, constantly keeping up the energy. The band continually engaged with the crowd and they fed off it, constantly swaying and head-banging, creating an atmosphere of excitement.
The set at times felt like a jam session, which the group said is how most of their songs come to be. Alas gave insight on how the band writes songs:
“There are certain sections of certain songs where we say we are going to jam for four measures, and then move on to the rest of the song. And at the beginnings on the jams, there comes a point [where] we find something comfortable and it becomes the song.”
At the end of the set, one could hear the audience’s enjoyment as many commented on the performance and went up to members to chat and congratulate them.
According to its members, a new album and fall tour can be expected from Second Trip.
Expect more shows from BJ’s this year as bands will come to the bar every other Wednesday evening.