Weather Underground, Earl Boykins and Aircraft played their souls out at Oasis on Thursday, April 1.
Thanks to Christoper Daly, another amazing concert was produced for New Paltz. Salvation Records, a company run by Daly, has been tearing up the music scene all over town.
The night began with a solo act, Weather Underground. Slightly underwhelming, he had a hard time managing his sound quality. With the mic at a shatteringly high level and the guitar screeching, it was hard to appreciate the music. However, there were moments during his set when he played a brilliant guitar lick and moments of great music. I highly respect his bravery and soulful attitude.
As the night continued, I experienced an extremely unexpected turn.
With his electric rock and roll stage presence and eccentric hair style, Justin John Smith, lead guitarist and singer, suddenly took control of the crowd and set us all on a journey with his band, Aircraft, who hail from Buffalo, N.Y. Described on the band’s Facebook page as “Psychedelic Surf Pop,” they combined an exceptional broad range of music into one. With inspirations varying from Beethoven to Black Sabbath, every song was an unpredictable joy.
Each member of Aircraft added a soulful component to their music while combining to form a beautifully cohesive and synchronized sound. They clearly were experienced musicians who had been playing together for some time. To me, they stole the show.
After this shocking and unexpected gem of a concert, the next band, Earl Boykins, named after the 5-foot-5-inch basketball player, performed.
The band members, hailing from SUNY Purchase, had a go-with-the-flow attitude. Their punk mentality and hard-hitting vibes led to an intensely crowd-pleasing concert. They performed all original songs and made a huge impact on the crowd. I would not go out of my way to listen to this type of music, but if you are a head basher and want to get some anger out, I highly recommend checking out Earl Boykins’ music.
All in all, these rockers put up a great show and deserve to have their names and music spread. So go check them out. Go see a concert. You never know what will happen.