Jovontaes @ WRFL Live 88.1 FM
(March 6, 2013)
(Here's an article I wrote a few weeks ago, which will be appearing in the spring issue of The RiFLe, The quarterly publication of the University of Kentucky's campus radio station. Check 'em out at wrfl.fm)
Having listened to the Jovontaes cassette tape I
received for my 15th birthday countless times, I was crestfallen to
learn that I was too young to attend most of the shows that the 3-piece band
played in the area, in some cases, only minutes from my house. I was overjoyed
when graciously given the chance to see them perform live in-studio on UK’s
campus radio station, WRFL. It took some convincing, but my mom was kind enough
to agree to drive me the hour’s trek on a school night. College radio and live
music sit high on my list of favorite things, and witnessing each in action
simultaneously was like eating Neapolitan ice cream; getting to enjoy
chocolate, vanilla and strawberry in the same bowl.
The station, located in the
student center, was a music lover’s haven. Thousands of records, edges worn
from handling, lay in repose on their shelves. Posters advertising gigs long
past covered the walls from ceiling to carpeted floor. I would have loved to
have time to explore the music library, but Jovontaes arrived shortly after 8
PM and began their sound check. A wide array of pedals was strewn about the ground,
working as a unit to emit a strange, otherworldly sound. At 9:00, the band was
on the air. Rather than opting for an introduction, they immediately plunged
into “Killer Pilz”, the first cut off of 2010’s Thief of Baghdad. The crunchy, sludge-riddled tone I was accustomed
to hearing on Jovontaes’ albums was replaced by a warm, reverberated
atmosphere. Mark Murray’s guitar rippled like a sonic tide pool, washing over
Josh Blaine’s trance-inducing bass. Suddenly, mid-track, the track exploded into
a primal mess, frontman/drummer Reid Small laying into the drums and howling
into the echoing microphone. I find many reviewers describing Jovontaes as a
“skate-kraut” band, but I disagree, (Partly because I have no idea what “skate-kraut”
actually means). They possess a unique sound of their own, borrowing as much
from The Ventures as they do early Animal Collective.
No timbre was left
untouched throughout the show. Within the thirty-five minute set, the band
rattled off sparse, spaced-out jams, blistering walls of distortion and funky
surf rock grooves. Although they played mainly instrumentals, Jovontaes kept me
captivated with their constantly morphing sound. “Killer Pilz” concluded the
broadcast the same way it began, and packed just as much punch as it did the
first time, if not more. Looking back, it seems the smaller, more intimate
shows I’ve attended were more exciting than the larger ones, like when I saw
Beach House last year. It doesn’t get any better than witnessing a band play
live on the radio, as it’s like your own private concert. Many thanks to
Jovontaes and the whole gang at WRFL for allowing me to sit in on this show!
