Andrew's Ave. CD Release Party @ The State Theatre

As I previously mentioned here on BOT, local act Andrew's Ave. released their debut album on October 3rd at the State Theatre in Lincoln, NE. The night was certain to be a dance-packed drunken event and it was nothing short of that. After a brief hiatus from our bar scene, local act Electric Soul Method took the stage in support, as did Vibenhai, also of Lincoln.

Read more after the jump!

Electric Soul Method began promptly as 9:00pm quickly fell upon us. I'd had the privilege of catching them several times before their brief disbanding, and had always been quite impressed musically with their varieties of jazz, rock, soul, and funk. Two things that I remembered from previous experiences with ESM were that they had a woman in their band that could just wail on vocals, and the saxophonist was amazing and also added his characteristic vocals. It was immediately apparent that the female vocalist was absent, and the band explained that she would be returning from Colorado for a reunion show at the Zoo Bar on Oct. 23rd. Bummer. Fortunately, though, saxophonist Josh Hoyer was still around giving ESM their unique sound. For the last two songs, guitarist Aaron Boomer from headliner Andrew's Ave. joined ESM for a very nice fusion and what seemed like a good time for all involved. The short set proved that they could still woo crowds. I described their sound to a friend as fast-paced porn music without the sleaziness, and I think it is quite fitting. I wish I could check them out at the Zoo, but unfortunately I will be in New Orleans for Voodoo Fest, and lord knows that will not be fun. On a serious note, I highly suggest giving them a listen.

Next on the platter was Vibenhai, a local ska, punk, reggae...you understand, right? You know, the band that everyone will tell you sounds like Sublime. But in all honesty these guys have been making some noise on the local scene and it is easy to see why. The music, although I suppose it is comparable to Sublime, has its own style. One thing that really impressed me about this band was the musicians' ability to quickly work the crowd, which is what an opener should do. After several calls beckoning the sedentary audience to come forward, they finally achieved success. The dance floor rapidly switched from a ghost town into a dance party in no time. The brief set, which fittingly enough included a cover of Sublime's song "Ebin," left everyone begging for more, with a taste of what the night had in store for them. Vibenhai proved to be an extremely fun act that played their part perfectly as an opener for the night. Keep an eye out for them in the area if you want to get off your ass and groove for an evening.

Taking us into Saturday, headliner Andrew's Ave. hit the stage at about a quarter past 11. By this time, the State Theatre was jumping in anticipation. I have seen Andrews Ave. previously and been impressed, and I have also had the opportunity to listen to the new CD an ample amount of times prior to the release party show. The album itself had a wide array of different sounds, many of which sounded nothing like what I had previously heard from the band. It's nice to see a band that is able to move in new directions and Andrew's Ave. is a wonderful example of this. The crowd seemed to receive the new material well; a good portion of the night consisted of songs from the new CD, with dabbles of classic jammy tunes mixed in. The party kept going into the morning until a brief break after the song "G.M.O.T." for a round of shots celebrating Boomer's birthday. After this, the night became mostly a blur, as I had reached my limit on booze and turned on party mode. One thing that I do remember was that I had a great time, and was awed with the talent of Andrew's Ave. I think that much of the crowd felt the same way. Check them out Halloween night in Lincoln and be sure to pick up their new CD!

For a jazzy/funky warm-up that consisted of effortlessly amazing saxophone and the hopeful return of an awesome local act, I give Electric Soul Method 6/10 slices.

For a perfect sound to get the crowd off of their asses and dancing into the night, I give Vibenhai 6.9/10 slices.

For a stellar performance to kick off the release of their debut album while everyone partied down, I give Andrew's Ave. 7.75/10.

Keep Supporting Local Music,
The Toastman