roargan and again

I went to the show at TSI on Friday night with two friends; a prominent local artist and his wife. We had a bit of a debate about whether or not novices could innovate within their craft. The artist also happens to be a musician. His skills on the bass were unparalleled and as a guitarist he is equally formidable. But the question is, can a couple of punks with a lot to say, a considerable amount of passion and a rudimentary knowledge of their instruments create a sound that is compelling and new?

The first band of the night was a local instrumental band that played something that could best be described as mathcore. They were not a good example to cite in this debate, because from inception to execution, this band was fantastic. They played their songs with verve and they passionately and skillfully banged away at a well-planned and seemingly impulsive set. For a three-piece, the immensity of their sound was phenomenal and the complexity of their songwriting was only matched by the passion of their live performance. If this band can survive the two-year itch, they will be composing and releasing some of the most amazing songs this town has seen in that time.

Following them, however, was a good example of this argument. Madhappy, an electropop band from Pensacola, reminded me very much of Panama City Beach. That isn’t intrinsically negative, I spent a spring break during college in Panama City Beach that I enjoyed very much, but a decent portion of my enjoyment came from making fun of the people that represented Panama City Beach. This pensacola band didn’t strike me as from Panama City, but watching them perform somehow reminded me of the strange feeling of being in Panama City.

This couple, a guy with braids and a girl with pink hair, wore cutoff jean shorts and no shirts. The girl was in a purple bra and the man wore no shirt at all. They took their little dances very seriously. Like Perry Ferrel with a random Lollapalooza fan and a laptop, they cued up haunting, almost gothic, tunes with dance beats and then sang over them. My friends had no problem with the vocal/rap duo. Although they exhibited no direct musical ability, they also didn’t project a lack of ability. They avoided the question altogether.

Finally, my reason for coming to TSI on this Friday night, Roargan took the stage. Their drummer set up at the pinnacle of the front stage as their bass player setup in front of stage left and the centerpiece of the band, the thrift store organ, dominated the front of stage right.

The band floundered into their set. The bass player broke a string during the first song. This isn’t necessarily a bad sign, but it certainly impacted the power of the opening of the set. The improvisational jam that passed the time during the string change was both impulsive and enjoyable, but immediately thereafter they dove back into their droll set.

The next song floundered again in that place between new/fresh and uncertain/unfocused. Finally, on their third song, a pop sensibility broke through and the band played red-faced through a truly impassioned song that evidenced their ability to rock when they really want to. From that point on it was hard to distinguish if their blaring and unfocused songs were a trick meant for me, or an innovation in rock music that I just don’t understand.

Organist Josh Dunn wasn’t by any means prolific on the keys, but he made the thing roar, remaining true to the name of the band. Drummer Mark Lynn ushered through systematic and frenzied beats that gave the impression that every song was intentional. In the end, we never decided if proficiency on an instrument was necessary to advance music, but we were certain that Roargan wasn’t the band that people looking for traditional rock and roll could appreciate. Antarctic played a set that traditional music lovers and innovators alike can enjoy, Madhappy played an articulate set of songs that only appeal to a narrow margin of listeners and Roargan delivered a set that defies explanation (and possibly even reason), but was still worth seeing, even if only for a brief set. In the end, TSI put on another compelling show, this has become something you can count on from this downtown “discotheque.”