On Sept. 30, Rochester-based quintet JOYWAVE gave the College Union Ballroom a taste of their unique brand of synthesized pop, although they don’t technically identify with a specific genre. The Geneseo Guitar Club opened for JOYWAVE and presented four separate acts.
Most of the Guitar Club’s acts consisted of rock pieces performed on electric and acoustic guitars. One of the acts had a folksy, bluegrass sound which they achieved using an acoustic guitar, a banjo, a mandolin and a violin which they switched around depending on the song. During the performance, the audience sat quietly in the dark Ballroom, which drew everyone’s focus to the well-lit stage. The sparsely-filled room, the mellow sounds of the musicians’ tunes and the demeanor of the audience created a blissful atmosphere for the club’s hour-long performance.
JOYWAVE came on soon and opened with their new song, “Ridge” with Dan Armbruster on vocals, who only picked up a guitar for later songs.
The band provided the audience with a seven-song set, featuring a different take on modern rock that included distinctive JOYWAVE covers of song mash-ups like “Betelgeuse,” which combines Miike Snow and LCD Soundsystem.
At Armbruster’s beckoning, the somewhat small, scattered audience stood up, moved forward, to their right, to their left and back again, though even without Armbruster’s instruction, the audience couldn’t stand still. He also prompted the audience multiple times throughout the show to raise their hands if they had heard of JOYWAVE, rendering a greater response each time as the show progressed.
The band’s music was heavy on the synthesizers and electronic drums – played by Andy York – and infused with the loud, intense strumming of Sean Donnelly’s bass. Joey Morinelli and Paul Brenner added to the noise-fest with a rhythm guitar and acoustic drum kit, respectively. Donnelly and Morinelli danced around the stage while ferociously playing their instruments.
The air in the Ballroom felt as electric as the band sounded.
Armbruster’s voice took on a falsetto, and at times his vocals became lost in the blend of music, but they still added to the overall sound of the performance. He tapped his feet and danced while singing, and while he rocked out his face took on a look of utmost concentration.
The band closed its set with “Bone Empire” and then hosted a game they had promised. It was a form of musical chairs in which the band played a song and the audience had to run to a corner of the Ballroom. A corner was eliminated each time until the winner won a free copy of the band’s new seven-inch record. The back-right corner of the room quickly became known as the “bad luck corner” since Armbruster selected it every time. He switched it up by ultimately choosing the corner’s sole occupant as the winner.
With that, they took their bows and the audience clapped. Those interested were encouraged to go up to the stage and talk to the band, a feature that most concerts are too large and impersonal to allow. It was the perfect ending to such an intimate show.