When talented musicians hand me their CDs, I worry. I'm afraid I won't do their music justice.
Last week I drove down to Provo to attend Shane Jackman's second installment of his "Songwriters in the Round" concert series.
I went alone to the Wrapsody because my spouse had a test . . . and he doesn't like folk music anyway.
There I was, sitting in the game room/eating area of this place, having some onion rings before the concert, when Gabe Dominguez, this very tall, goofy-looking kid, sat down next to me.
He asked me why was I there so early, and why was I writing stuff down
I told him I was a music columnist.
He asked if I was mean.
I didn't know what to say, seeing how I was in the middle of choking on my onion ring.
He said that the last music columnist he met was mean.
I said I was sorry.
He started telling me about his group, Neverband, about how it's experimental and the members are all truly talented and they only play stuff that they love and they don't do music that you can't dance to.
I sat there for a good half-hour listening to a kid who was about 18 pitch me his album, "Night and Day."
Then, something happened. My heart softened. I don't know if this was from the fried food or what, but I became interested in what this musician had to say about his stuff.
When the conversation was over, he said he thought I was a nice person, and he went his merry way.
Now, I'm worried. I have this amazing CD sitting on my desk that I don't exactly know how to describe to anybody. If you were to come into the office, I would grab you by your collar and shake you and say, "YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS HOME AND LISTEN TO IT! IT'S TOO WEIRD! IT'S TOO COOL!"
That's what I did to the music editor here. I told him that he would be so floored by this group that he would just weep with joy!
He was pretty impressed with Neverband's music and with the fact that Neverband has only been together about a year, most of which was spent in the studio, working on this conceptual album.
A conceptual album isn't a string of radio-friendly hits. It's more like a continuation of songs that play off each other . . . or something. I dunno.
All I know is, Neverband's "Battle" is beyond the beyonds. In a good way.
The group, consisting of eight young musicians, plays anything and everything. It's able to move from gospel to jazz, then to Celtic, then to folk. The lead singer, Gabe, has a voice that is reminiscent of Harry Connick Jr. It's too mature for an 18-year-old.
Because the median age of the group is about 20, I was very surprised at the risks these kids were taking musically. They don't seem to care if what they play is popular or a potential radio hit. The guys play stuff that they love. Stuff that moves them.
Neverband is absolutely crazy. In a good way.
You can reach Lucy Campbell by e-mail at lu@desnews.com