November usually brings the chill of fall and the laid-back atmosphere of a quiet walk in the park. The early half of the Eddy for this month began with such a feel as it returned to Common Grounds, but finished with an explosive rock performance. A plethora of artists took the stage and listeners were treated to an eclectic show.
Joel Hallemeyer was the first to play. With eager appreciativeness, he began his portion of the show with a little spoken word rhyme that led into his first song. It was a very Bright Eyes-esque moment and set the tone well for his folk-laced acoustic set list. With just a guitar and harmonica in tow, Hallemeyer endeared himself to the crowd with his self-proclaimed “simple words and simple chords.” Whether it was his own compositions or the folk rendition of Radiohead’s “High and Dry,” Hallemeyer carried over the stripped down songs well.
The next group to play was the duo Tomate Combate, who came up and won over the crowd with their unique lineup of guitarist and ukulele player. They played a slew of classic tunes, putting a different spin into each of them that only a guitar/ukulele combo can. The vocalist’s unique ability to seemingly change voice octaves at will successfully provided the comedic effect that got the crowd into it. They played tracks from The Beatles, The Imperials and When in Rome; but what got the crowd excited was a hilarious cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” for which they invited Hallemeyer back onto the stage to sing along. Quite humorous throughout, Tomate Combate provided light-hearted fun to set up for the heavier material to come.
David Perry “DP” Webster followed. He had a few people onstage along with him, some painting a picture, others working with an abstract play dough structure. Webster introduced them as his “band,” while providing the music himself with an acoustic guitar. With politically-tinged songs, and others about the human condition, it was like a philosopher had been put on the stage and handed a guitar, and knew exactly what to do with it. In one song, Webster spoke of the progression of mankind, from simple art to modern day machinery and the evil that has come with it.
The political and existential themes continued when the last act, Mike Ruffino and the Villains took the stage, although the musical style didn’t. Whereas the first three bands quietly played up the relaxed atmosphere of a November evening, Ruffino and the Villains turned up the heat immediately. From the opening chords, they played with a ferocious, frenetic energy that was a stark contrast to what the rest of the evening had offered up until that point. Dancing around like madmen, howling and screaming their brutally honest lyrics, the band definitely could have cared less whether they were playing the Biola Common Grounds or a packed House of Blues on a Friday night. They showed diversity as well, putting down their electric guitars and playing a few acoustic tunes for a few songs, all while Ruffino pranced on and off the stage, walking through the crowds and really being the front-man that fits a rock band perfectly. An anomaly to the rest of the bands that played that night, Mike Ruffino and the Villains were the right band to close out the evening – yet another excellent Eddy in the books.
