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REBECCA HALE
Reverb Editor
Ellicottville Brewing Company West (EBC) provided a warm and welcoming haven for cold hands and eager ears last Saturday evening as it hosted MoChester, a band that hasn’t visited Fredonia in many years. Outside, temperatures were nearing freezing, but students and community members alike entered through the heavy wooden door of EBC, lured by the melodies of MoChester and the promise of a satisfying brew.
MoChester, a four-piece pop rock band from Rochester, formed in 2001 and has been playing shows around the United States since, traveling as far from home as Los Angeles to perform. MoChester has a large fan base in Rochester and has even opened for the Barenaked Ladies at the Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack.
The band’s core is comprised of brothers Jonathan Sheffer, keyboard, guitar and backup vocals, and Brandon Sheffer, lead guitar and lead vocals, who originally formed the band. Its lineup has changed slightly since then, when Ben Overmyer, on bass, and Alex Melville, on drums, joined the group. That was about six years ago, before the band produced its debut album “Stop and Go” in 2011. The pair used to play in a different band together before joining MoChester, and all four members have been playing music since they were in middle school.
“Alex and Ben brought a little bit more of a rock and reggae edge,” Jonathan said, explaining how MoChester’s sound changed with the new lineup. “But our original sound was more singer/songwriter-oriented, and we started as acoustic.”
The band’s first album features mostly softcore rock with pop undertones. One of the things that makes MoChester unique is Jonathan’s use of keyboard — something not as often seen with four-piece rock bands. Another prominent feature is the vocal harmonies provided by the Sheffers. MoChester’s sound is comparable to Incubus, a band which all the members mutually enjoy.
Brandon’s simple yet soulful lyrics are reminiscent of a new age Motown sound, which was part of the inspiration for the band’s name, alongside their home city.
The band’s second album, “Lost and Found,” strays away from pop ballads, and instead incorporates reggae beats for a groovier sound. The band is currently writing music for its third studio album.
“We’re working on a third album right now that I really think is going to showcase the meshing of the styles,” Jonathan said. The band also noted that it recorded a few songs at Fredonia with alumnus Jordan Kinne a few years back.
One of the band’s first songs of the night was a slower cover of Jack Johnson’s “Better Together.” The original song is acoustic and has a minimal piano part, but MoChester took it one step further by adding in extra keys and even a portion in which Jonathan played a keyflute.
The band also covered Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down,” which ended in a bass solo by Overmyer.
MoChester later covered The Beatles’ “Rocky Racoon,” in which Jonathan nailed the fluttering keyboard solos, and ended their first set with the Jackson 5’s “One More Chance,” a tune that had more than a few audience members singing and jamming along.
Unfortunately, Brandon wasn’t feeling his best that night and felt his voice was being strained. He could be seen periodically sipping tea between songs, in contrast to his bandmates’ beers, and looked as if he felt under the weather. Nonetheless, he made it through the first set without faltering a note, and his vocals gave no hint to his condition.
In an attempt to ease the pressure on Brandon’s voice, the band played some more instrumental bits during its second set, which began with originals “Along the Way” and “Scapegoat,” featuring an echoey and harmonious guitar solo between the Sheffers.
The second set was more reggae-focused, and this was reinforced with the band’s original song “Lost and Found,” followed by Bob Marley’s “Is this Love?” After this cover, the band showed their musical talent and flexibility when Overmyer and Sheffer swapped guitars, and Overmyer took over on vocals.
The band played Stealer’s Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You,” America’s “A Horse with No Name” and ended the night with Sublime’s “Santeria.” These last covers were songs which the band had never rehearsed that way and weren’t on the setlist.
Though Overmyer’s strength is in his bass playing, he was able to deliver impressive vocals in lieu of Brandon’s, and it’s almost a wonder he doesn’t sing backup vocals with the group regularly. The way the band was able to swap instruments showed a true understanding and talent for music; MoChester is unlike many of the “jam bands” that Fredonia often sees.
MoChester has big dreams of becoming a full-time touring band, but right now, the members all have regular jobs to worry about, as well as finances. The band isn’t on tour currently, but the members take time off work on Wednesdays thru Sundays to travel and play shows when they can.
“I would love to be financially secure enough to travel for months on end and go a lot further than we ever have,” Jonathan said. “We’re primarily trying to focus on traveling more and not playing a lot locally, so when we do our local shows, they’re a lot more epic and we can rely on the fan base getting behind us and making it great.”
Still, the band loves to play local shows, and it was enthusiastic about returning to an old and reminiscent venue:
“We’re happy to be back here,” Jonathan said. “It’s been awhile since we’ve played [in Fredonia]. We love the people around here; they seem to enjoy music and appreciate it.”