#phoenixafrobeatorchestra

Fairy Bones onstage in Hope Hall. Photo S.E.

YabYum, the music and arts media curators put together a 5 band awards showcase in order to recognize and celebrate their top picks of 2016. The bands on the show were Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, decker., Fairy Bones, Nanami Ozone, and Phantom Party. It was an impressive free show partnering with Trunk Space and in order to accommodate a larger crowd than what Trunk space Proper could provide it was held in Hope Hall in downtown Phoenix's Grace Lutheran Church. The Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra was the correct choice as headliners as their fiery set lit up the room, but other highlights were Phantom Party's 3 piece no-nonsense surf punk sound, the loud power of Fairy Bones, and bluesy drama of decker.

The room was dressed in blue and white cloth creating a billowing airy atmosphere in which all religious iconography was strategically shrouded, I'm not sure if that was a stipulation of the arrangement with the church or if it was just a judgement call on the show producers in order to avoid stark irony with some of the irreverent and blasphemous events of the evening. Hosted and emcee'd by Highrock Supajoint (the primary irreverent offender) the show kept moving right along from 6-11pm with each band playing no more than 40 minute sets and Supajoint filling in the transitions with announcements of the award winners and his own musical performances rapping mostly about smoking weed while he used an ipad setup to be his own DJ. The boisterous persona he has created was effective in maintaining energy and preventing any dead spots in the evening but I'm afraid not everyone there was the target demographic for a vulgar 80's glam rocker rapping about smoking weed.

Phantom Party got the designation of "Best New Band" from YabYum and they opened with an entertaining set. Drenched in spring reverb, the guitar was characteristic but never overbearing, allowing space for the bass, drums and vocals to come through. The playing was tight in a sort of sloshy way that conveyed a caution to the wind attitude. The persona and showmanship of the members was cohesive and they looked natural and genuinely fully into the performance as the frontman cut into a guitar solo, whipping the neck of his guitar around as his eyeglasses flew off his face. It was one of my favorite sets of the evening.

Phantom Party opening the show. Photo S.E.

Nanami Ozone’s Desire won “Album of the Year” and they came up next. Most likely due to some technical issues, the standard 2 guitar, bass, drum lineup came across guitar heavy in a way that I think masked the songs. This is where I appreciated the $0.50 earplugs on sale at the back of the room. The vocals didn’t come through very well and much of the set was just too thick to get any clarity through. Having not heard this group before, I made a point to listen to the album after the show so I could get an appreciation for the songs. We should keep an eye on them because with some more stage experience and level tweaking the heart of their indie-rock sound could really start to come through in their live set.

One of the big draws to this show for me was Fairy Bones or as YabYum has designated “Most Likely To Succeed”. At the front, Chelsey Louise delivered her unapologetic vocals atop the roar of the band and driving force of Matthew Foos’ drumming. Some of the sound issues persisted however and through the first few songs she switched back and forth between microphones, searching for a combination that would cut through the mix and not hum with feedback. In the end she was heard loud and clear and they even debuted some new material.

Next up would be decker., a band from Sedona that drops the conventional capitalization of the proper noun and adds a bonus period at the end, or maybe it’s decker(dot)?  Their album Snake River Blues took the title of “Best Psychedelic Album”. They played like a seasoned band with their 5 member lineup and definitely had some theatrical moments of musical buildup, tension, and release that kept the crowd engaged. Brandon Decker is the clear focal point of the group as the band follows his cues and plays support role for his expressive persona. 

Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra. Photo S.E.

The raw energy of a group like the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra (PAO!) is not to be missed, and impossible to ignore furthermore. Comprised of 12 instrumentalists and 4 vocalists they packed the stage but somehow still had space to move to the beat. The technical sound issues earlier in the evening had no effect on PAO as they blasted right in with a wall of 4 part horns. The bass was thick, the rhythm crisp and the guitars and keyboard came through perfectly in their own respective roles, a testament to the musicianship of the players and the good taste of the arrangements. The band got the crowd dancing and the vocalists created what was a celebration but with clear social-political undertones. As recipients of “Most Anticipated Album”, PAO ended the night with a bang and all in all it was a great show and YabYum, Trunk Space, and all the musicians should be commended for putting together such an event in an act of service to the community.