In a casual, folksy way-about-it, Andrew Jackson Jihad stormed and seized the beating hearts of every person in The Orpheum.
Anxieties ebbed away from the moment frontman Sean Bonnette stepped onto the stage. With the strums of “People II: The Reckoning,” the troubles of the world seemed to dwindle into the evening. Andrew Jackson Jihad addresses some of the darker, more complex pains of the world: poverty, mental illness, politics, and the weight of humanity.
It’s hard to pin which is more compelling: the stunning lyricism of coping with pain in songs like “Rejoice,” or the packed stage of strings the band shares the stage with. The real winner is the upright bass, an instrument harder to manage than a rambunctious child.
The plucking of each string is a precise, reckoning voice in itself, blending into an unforgettable choir of artistry. With heavy imagery there’s always a lasting moment or phrase in every AJJ song. Take “Brave as a Noun,” for example:
In this life we lead, we could conquer everything if we could just get the brave to get out of bed in the morning.”
Hearing these words is motivation enough. With irresistible folk-punk energy, it’s hard to not feel a contagious sense of fire while listening to Andrew Jackson Jihad. The “Do, Re, Me,” that resounds in car stereos and dim-lit stages. There’s the modern conscious punk energy melded with irresistible bang.
So many acts in this line-up inspired similar a sentiment. Cue the ultimate quirk while watching Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts, a trio of rocking, socially-conscious entertainers with a balance of storytelling anti-folk and acoustic messages. Lewis and his band are underrated indie geniuses with a slew of comics, zines, and extensive discography.
Opening with a thought of “The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane,” it was an unassuming intro to a night of awareness and understanding — which includes talk of bad acid and native oppression. But Lewis was quick to correct in follow-up song, “No LSD Tonight,” that he isn’t a guy who loves acid. He did however enjoy the Tampa crowd.
I could be in a street car to doing something weird, but in my mind there’s some audience … clapping and cheering.”
Lewis’ band performed acoustic history lessons about the Cuban Missile Crisis and an epic rap about how terrible Louisiana mosquitos are. It was this diversity and playfully conscious energy that surprised me in how seismic such a mellowing performance can be.
But as far as vibrant, power punk status, turn to Rozwell Kid, the playful performers with a knack for amping up the energy and humor. As far as pegging the whole vibes of Tampa, frontman Jordan Hudkins crowed out the right ideas about the Bay.
A night in Tampa…Let’s get nasty.”
Blind Tiger got me jacked in my f*king skull.”
Cruise ships…PARK HERE.”
The guys are actually frickin’ hilarious — just see their Twitter or Tumblr. Or watch the “Kangaroo Pocket” music video:
Jokes aside, the band has a presence that can take a nonchalant crowd, and turn it into a sea of lip-flickers. It’s a contagious love for the West Virginia act, who blast a stage with “Kangaroo Pocket” and “Halloween 3.5.” Underneath the layers of hilarity in the class clowns are provoking thoughts and well-placed artistry.
Sound and personality are everything in performances. The AJJ tour might have had the best of 2015.
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Andrew Jackson Jihad Live Review and Concert Photos by Amanda Starling, edited by Matthew Weller.
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