Nada Surf hung ten Friday night at 8x10
As they finished out "What is Your Secret?" Caws motioned off-stage and introduced his father, step-mother, and sisters who had come to see their last show of the tour. When the elder Mr. Caws smiled genuinely, lumbered on stage and hugged his son, the crowd responded in kind with cheers and several shouts of "I love your dad!"
The cross-generational feel of the show was not only thanks to the presence of the lead singer's family, but also the uniquely diverse make up of the audience itself. In fact, the heterogeneity of the crowd - which one would expect to be made up of mostly teenagers and young twenty-somethings rather than thirty-somethings - was incredibly endearing as long-time fans of various ages danced and sung along with the indie rock trio from Brooklyn.
When the opening chords of "Fruit Fly" floated through the air accompanied by Caws' charming croon, it was immediately overpowered by everyone singing the quirky and apologetic lyrics in overwhelming unison. As the song slowly crescendoed and the bass and drums erupted, the crowd exploded. Based on Nada Surf's sound on their records, it came as a surprise to see how energetic their live show really was. While they are a rock band, they brought their songs to life with unexpected vigor and exuberance. Their ability to strike the perfect balance between the gentle tones of songs like "Blonde on Blonde" and the upbeat and frenetic ones of songs like "Hi-Speed Soul" both kept the show interesting and the music fresh.
The band itself looked like a trio of misfits. Caws, the leader of the pack, in an unassuming navy polo and slacks stood in stark contrast with his bandmates, with the tattooed and rambunctious Ira Elliot behind the drum kit and the dreadlocked Daniel Lorca on bass. Though you would never expect these dramatically different characters to come together and make such feel-good music, you would also never expect the amalgam of individuals who gathered at the 8x10 Friday night to be united by a band like Nada Surf. But it worked. So while Nada Surf closed out with "Blankest Year" and the crowd repeated with increasing enthusiasm the chorus of "Oh [expletive] it! I'm gonna have a party!" as Caws' father and siblings clapped and sung along, it seemed only fitting that this gig in a small, cramped, smoky club was a family affair.
The cross-generational feel of the show was not only thanks to the presence of the lead singer's family, but also the uniquely diverse make up of the audience itself. In fact, the heterogeneity of the crowd - which one would expect to be made up of mostly teenagers and young twenty-somethings rather than thirty-somethings - was incredibly endearing as long-time fans of various ages danced and sung along with the indie rock trio from Brooklyn.
When the opening chords of "Fruit Fly" floated through the air accompanied by Caws' charming croon, it was immediately overpowered by everyone singing the quirky and apologetic lyrics in overwhelming unison. As the song slowly crescendoed and the bass and drums erupted, the crowd exploded. Based on Nada Surf's sound on their records, it came as a surprise to see how energetic their live show really was. While they are a rock band, they brought their songs to life with unexpected vigor and exuberance. Their ability to strike the perfect balance between the gentle tones of songs like "Blonde on Blonde" and the upbeat and frenetic ones of songs like "Hi-Speed Soul" both kept the show interesting and the music fresh.
The band itself looked like a trio of misfits. Caws, the leader of the pack, in an unassuming navy polo and slacks stood in stark contrast with his bandmates, with the tattooed and rambunctious Ira Elliot behind the drum kit and the dreadlocked Daniel Lorca on bass. Though you would never expect these dramatically different characters to come together and make such feel-good music, you would also never expect the amalgam of individuals who gathered at the 8x10 Friday night to be united by a band like Nada Surf. But it worked. So while Nada Surf closed out with "Blankest Year" and the crowd repeated with increasing enthusiasm the chorus of "Oh [expletive] it! I'm gonna have a party!" as Caws' father and siblings clapped and sung along, it seemed only fitting that this gig in a small, cramped, smoky club was a family affair.
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