The Scene: The Bluebird Theatre was packed with a good mix of people who all came to feel the BOOM! A good number of the ladies had X’s on their hands and most of the dudes rocked New Era baseball hats that were worn to front, back and side, but all the brims were flat. The room was dark the entire night and the light show was simple; more calming than mind blowing. Electronic music comes in many forms (especially in this town) and both Octopus Nebula and Signal Path blend live instrumentation with samples and synth to form a great balance of live music with well formed electronic additions.
Octopus Nebula: I was drawn to this band because of it’s bass player, Fleeb Thomas. I first heard him play in the band Stanky Pockets many years ago and most recently saw him perform with with Polytoxic and company at The Last Waltz Revisited. Octopus Nebula is where Mr. Thomas and his six string bass spend most of their time, and it was great to see the both of them!
These guys blend many different genres while keeping it all on a transcendental plane. Their music wasn’t tranquil, but it did have a certain meditative quality to it. All these words might be misunderstood to imply “boring,” but let me make it perfectly clear – that could not be farther from the truth! I am using these terms to describe an almost spiritual vibe in the music that I picked up on. It was a great set filled with unique sounds that would please lovers of all types of music . . . especially psychedelic.
Signal Path: These guys also combine the live instruments with electronic elements, but in a much different way. Their music is more rhythmic and danceable with some thunderous bass and it was filled with intensity and energy from start to finish. A Hip-Hop vibe was thrown in to the beats, and and a great vibe was thrown in to the crowd! The Bluebird really filled in for Signal Path and they kept our eyes on the stage and our heads bobbing all night.
While electronic music is often too busy for me and can feel more like an assault of synthetic sounds than a concert sometimes, both of these bands come from a background of live instrumentation and threw the electronic factor in later in their development. It is this attention to musicianship that made the night pleasurable for me. The electronic element was added to expand horizons and paint more detailed soundscapes, but both of these bands could rock a stage if their laptops crashed!
Energy B
Sound A-
Musicianship B+
Stage Presence B
Set/Light Show B
Overall B+
Hi Brian. I am the lighting guy/sound guy for Signal Path. Yes I do both. This evening I ran lights also for O.Neb. Like your write up. Glad you caught the “simple, more calming than mind blowing” Pretty much what I am trying to achieve in my lighting style; this is not by mistake. Keep an eye out in the future as this rig will be expanding, it’s in a pretty fresh stage right now. Thanks again and cheers!