A small but successful concert, courtesy of Geneseo Late Knight, took place last Friday night in the College Union Ballroom, as Buffalo area band Colors in the Air performed for an enthusiastic crowd of Geneseo students.
The group's lineup consisted of Brian Miller on lead vocals, guitar and piano, Justin Walker on guitar, Ryan Cullinane on bass and Pat Williams on drums.
According to Cullinane, the band considers itself of the "indie alternative rock" genre and Colors in the Air's performance definitely proved this opinion truthful.
According to the bass player, the band's primary influences include "Radiohead, Coldplay, and a lot of random indie bands."
Opening act Brett Shufelt, a sophomore at Geneseo, attracted a small group of listeners that Colors in the Air quickly managed to build upon as their concert progressed.
The group opened with the song "Maybe Tonight" off of their album On the Inside. Williams was impressive on the drums, and the track had a quality similar to the music of Jack's Mannequin, with a lyrical blending of instruments and vocals that attracted more students to the Ballroom to see what was taking place.
The band moved on to their original song, "Slave," also off of On the Inside, which featured Miller changing from his role as guitarist to piano player. The shift provided an enjoyable change of pace to the show's primarily rock alternative style. Miller impressed with his performance, and he continually reprised his place at the piano during random songs throughout the show.
The band kept up a humorous banter with the audience throughout the night, casually asking questions about how the students enjoy being at Geneseo, what they do for fun in the village, and even joking about the end of the movie The Curious Case Benjamin Button with a couple of audience members.
When the concert ended, Miller smiled out into the crowd and replied to the applause from his group of loyal fans, "Thank you everyone for watching us. Thank you."
Cullinane said, "It's going to be four years this August" since Colors in the Air formed. He also revealed that the band's name originates from a line in one of the band's songs, "Just to Know." The line reads, "I can see the colors in the air and it's alright."
When it was performed on Friday, the song featured impressive performances by Williams and Miller and was one of the most entertaining tracks of the evening.
Colors in the Air has two albums available on iTunes: On the Inside and the EP A Toronto. The group's MySpace page has tracks available that fans can listen to, as well as information about the band members and upcoming shows.
Cullinane remarked that this was the first time that the group has performed at Geneseo. The small but dedicated crowd at the show was evidence that some students would not mind a return of the band to the college for another performance.