The age old question of whether or not a tree falling in the woods with no one present would make a sound was finally put to a rest on Friday night. The answer is a resounding yes.
Despite poor attendance, Exegesis performed a commendable set at Little Brothers. The bar-venue is a point of pride for music aficionados in the Short North. It features a shoebox-shaped performance area, a fairly long bar and unusually clean restrooms.
Paul Brown opened the show with fast-paced guitar work to the accompaniment of an electric bass and a drum set. Brown unleashed a wave of sound from his instrument that at times was reminiscent of a young Carlos Santana’s quiet meditations. At other moments his nimble fingers danced across the frets with the ferocious speed of your favorite hair-band guitarist. Brown’s set was entertaining, even though no new musical ground was broken. It is important to note the flatness of the set could have been a result of the fact that at the time he left the stage there were a whopping five people in the audience.
When the headliners took the stage there were four people in attendance, not counting members of the press. Two of these audience members should not be included in the tally because they seemed much more interested in tactlessly groping each other in the corner than listening to the band. But, the show that followed was a rare act of musical professionalism.
Exegesis is based out of New York City and is composed of upright bassist Danton Boller, guitarist Nick Demopoulos and drummer Greg Gonzalez. Boller and Gonzalez might sound familiar to those who know of the Jazz Mandolin Project.
When asked to classify the band’s sound, Boller seemed at a loss for words. He said it started out as a jazz group, but its sound has mutated since then.
“Last night we thought it sounded like indie-rock-jazz. Maybe you can come up with a better name for it than that,” Boller said.
Classifications of any sort were difficult to make. It would have been inaccurate to classify the band as a jazz-fusion group, although its sound did incorporate elements of jazz and rock — even a hint of bluegrass.
In the face of such a weak audience, a lesser band would have ingested its fill of complimentary drinks, stumbled through a sloppy set, and headed for the next town. This was not the case.
From the first note to the final curtain, the members of Exegesis did not let up. Gonzalez gave the group an irresistible pulse with his driving rhythm, made all the more powerful by his almost psychic interaction with Boller. Add to this the spacey, nuanced guitar work of stone-faced Demopoulos to fill out the sound, and voila: Exegesis.
The group effectively incorporated a number of electronic effects into their sound. At the end of the final song, tentatively titled “seven-eighths,” Boller used his bow to create a haunting whine which formed a juxtaposition against the jaunty sound of the other two members. “Moon,” the band’s third song, is a tribute to John Coltrane, which showcased the group’s phenomenal ability to communicate.
Possibly the most well-executed song was “Emergence.” If it is possible to explain the mood of this piece, it might best be described as the view from a moving city bus window on a dreary afternoon through the thin haze of a hangover.
Boller admitted there were some technical problems. The set seemed somewhat rushed, most likely as a result of the piddling attendance. But aside from this, the performance was well done.
