KOXY-KXSC Show Fails to Impress

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Author: Evan Carter

The joint efforts of Occidental’s radio station KOXY and USC’s KXSC brought three acts to the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts on Friday, Feb. 25. Cass McCombs headlined, preceded by Big Search and Frank Fairfield in a performance that drew a small local fan base. While the house may have been packed, concert-goers would have been hard-pressed to find an Occidental face in the crowd. The rain may have deterred some, but it seems just as likely that the mellow, laid-back Americana offering simply didn’t pique the interest of the Occidental students. Post-grad and working-age couples were the audience at this event. The musicians preferred to project at a “listening room” level, but the barroom and social atmosphere wasn’t cooperative with their intent.

Those who showed up late missed one unique and talented performance from Frank Fairfield. The first opener was oozing with talent. Fairfield brought an antique sound from the depths of Southern tradition and obscurity to the modern stage. Accompanied solely by a microphone, the dapper musician fused Appalachian jigs with the more ostentatious sounds of the Western plains. He sang, he played the banjo, he fiddled and he strummed a guitar, all while providing the audience with the historical roots from which he draws. Fairfield gave the most energetic performance of the evening. His genuine energy and raw talent translated easily to any willing listener, and just two songs into his set, he had the room stomping in unison. While, at times, Fairfield seemed to retreat into his own mind, chuckling quietly to himself between numbers, he never lost the crowd.

The second opener, Big Search, lacked a vibrant stage presence and, while they carried their performance with a technical expertise, it could have been better utilized. The band’s talent seemed to be underrepresented in the airy, self-absorbed and repetitive creations of lead man Matt Popieluch.

Cass McCombs took the stage late in the evening. The doe-eyed front man began seated at the piano, announcing to attentive viewers that, “We’re just going to keep things pretty quiet up here, so … that’s how we like it.” Anyone expecting to be drawn in by an enthusiastic, lively performance quickly found their way to the back of the hall to continue their conversations. The performance seemed to be background music to a hipster social, though 12 or 15 rows of transfixed listeners sat silently listening. There was no moment when McCombs captured the room or built to a jam, but the band was consistently good at what it provided: a bland soundtrack to a rainy evening of three-dollar beer. It seems a shame that more Occidental students didn’t turn out for a show provided at a nearby neighborhood venue, but if it was an enthralling and lively concert they wanted, their desires may have been better served at a different event.

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