BC rock band Lucid Soul transforms Mod 3B into a performance venue, bringing classic rock, folk to the intimate concert setting.
On Saturday night, Mod 3B had a party. It was a pajama party—pretty pedestrian stuff for the night after Halloween. But in the interest of narrowing it down even further, it was a pajama party with music—live music. And to put a tie around this rough characterization of a BC party, it was the first University sanctioned live music event in an on-campus residence, a concert with BC acts Lucid Soul and Jimmy and the Gooch.
The scene was partly similar to those unfolding across campus. There was a Mod, and there was music. But the tunes weren’t coming from a head-bobbing, arm bouncing student channeling his or her inner DJ. They came from opener Jimmy and the Gooch—James Farrell, A&S ’15, and Chris “Gooch” Bloniarz of Berklee College of Music, and then from the main event, Lucid Soul.
Outfitted for an acoustic set, Jimmy and the Gooch strummed their way through the first set, culminating with a grand acoustic cover of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” which traditionally only works as an arena rock song. Well, Jimmy and dear old Gooch were not in an arena, but they made it feel like one. Tucked into the corner between the kitchen and the Mod’s sliding doors (you know the place) the duo capped off its set to enthusiastic applause.
By then the living room had begun to fill up. The Mod came as close to being as comfortably full as a Mod physically can. Everyone had room to breathe and wiggle their elbows a bit—more than enough room. Outside, there was the night—the cold, the demons, the witches. But inside there were pajamas and music courtesy of Lucid Soul—the gang comprised of Farrell (again) on lead vocals and guitar, Andrew Bishop, A&S ’15, on drums, Ted Faust, A&S ’15, on lead guitar, and Andrew Jones, A&S ’15, filling in for band member John Mahoney, a senior from Berklee who could not make it to Saturday’s show.
Lucid Soul took the stage (read: stepped in front of the crowd into the corner of the living room) a little after 10 p.m. and played through the night. They played old rock and their own rock. Lights flashed occasionally as guitars waged war remarkably close to the feet of the crowd. The band played about half covers and half original songs. They journeyed across the musical landscape with covers of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved,” The Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” N*SYNC’s “Pop,” and The Band’s “The Weight,” among others. Lucid Soul pretty much proved they can take any piece of music and put it in their cozy pajamas. Their covers had a richness, certainly boosted by the music-themed posters plastered all around the room. It wasn’t too hard to find the band’s core influences. They surrounded the audience with them—musically and physically.
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Never fear, Lucid Soul gave the audience some original stuff to chew on as well. Their opener “Wasting Daylight” set the mood as the chords echoed through the little arena. Songs like “The Magician” and “Quiet Zone” carried the second set. But what makes Lucid Soul fun—especially in an intimate setting as the night gets later and later—is their willingness to at any point, at any time, lean on their instrumentals and dive into a tunnel of raging rock. They tell their stories more through music than words. No one could ever accuse the band of shying away from instrumental solos, and no one really seemed to mind. Everyone was getting into the action.
Where was BC during the event? They took a much appreciated step back. The RAs came, approved the party, and the concert went on without visible interference. It was a win for Lucid Soul, because it looked they had a lot of fun. It was a win for the audience, because they did have a lot of fun. And kudos to the University for allowing this fresh take on what weekends at BC can be.
Featured Image by John Wiley / Heights Editor
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