by photojournalist Dan Fernandez
This review is going to be a bit different than my normal review format as I was asked to do a pre-show interview with the guys from Algorythm, Instead of my longer form reviews I am going to be dishing out a brief recap of each of the two nights followed by a video interview which covered fan questions, the career/life balance of a musician as well as some info concerning their upcoming release “Illusion.”
I wanted to start this off by saying that between Friday’s acoustic night and Saturday’s family jam the amount that this band values community is off the charts. Friday nights acoustic night felt special from note one played by Nick Poulin, with the intimacy of the venue at Bayboro Brewing setting the tone for a truly unique and collaborative evening. Both the starting acts hailed from South Carolina with Poulin and Layton Meacham impressing with their songwriting and their vocal prowess before Trevor Young of Soja took the stage with his trusty bagged bottle of Jameson.
Young’s set was a mix of his trademark carefree attitude, booming vocals, powerful lyrics and collaborations plenty including band mate Kyle Wareham of three-legged Fox performing their brand-new song “when the world stops”, violinist Derek Waldmann and the legend himself Kevin Kinsella of John Browns Body and 10 Foot Ganja Plant. You could see the power of his presence on the stage and his music in action as the crowd laughed along during his more comedic moments but seemed to hang on his every word of his deeper tunes. Following Trevor was a full set from Kevin Kinsella joined on stage by Derek Waldman and man did these guys get down. It was incredibly refreshing to see a bunch of musicians just having fun with their craft and supporting each other.
That community love spilled over into Saturday night at Jannus Live where Nick Poulin was the solel opener before Algorythm, made up of Trevor Young (Soja), Kyle Wareham (Three-Legged fox) and Kevin Offitzer (Stick Figure), brought a set for the ages as well as an onslaught of collaborators on stage with them, featuring Dan Kelly of Fortunate Youth, Layton Meacham, Kenny Bongos, Kevin Kinsella, Derek Waldman and many, many more. This show truly felt like a large group of old friends getting together for a jam session and having fun for the people who enjoy watching them play. This approach speaks more to their process of making music, it’s collaborative spirit and their deep connection with their fans rather than a single show on any given night. If you get a chance to catch this treat of collective do not miss out! I will repeat, do not miss out!
OK , now let the band speak for themselves! Video link https://youtu.be/iPwnVr_4u6s
