80 Proof live at the Slidebar
80 Proof put on an excellent 40 minute show at the Slidebar on Thursday, February 10th. The music was good and the showmanship was top notch. Especially their percussionist/keyboard player Alex Williamson did a great job keeping the energy pumping for the entire set. The type of music is some reggae with some ska mixed in there. This band is a large one, there are 6 people in there. So they put on a serious show. The Slidebar had a great soundsystem and I was able to hear all the different instruments and the two vocalists on almost every song. The musical style is a familiar one. So if you like the band, “Sublime” then you will probably really enjoy 80 Proof. And even though the music isn’t mind-blowingly unique sounding, they play the songs well and sound great. Many of their songs are related to drinking so it is definitely a party band.
I noticed at the club there were both guys and girls dancing and having a good time. And there wasn’t a mosh pit which was a nice break. I even saw two girls that looked really good dance to the music with skill. So that is something to think about.
One of the cool things about 80 Proof is that they have a drummer and a percussionist/keyboardist. So their sound is very full and punchy. Finding the beat is very clear and you just need to either listen or look at the band to figure out how to groove with them. So this would be a winner choice of a band to go to on a date, if you either were a good dancer or didn’t know how to dance. Because you can just rock around to the music and the tempo is very manageable.
Another great thing about the band is that they had a casual and genuine demeanor onstage. This was a key point for me, because I thought that the style of music they played usually came with a thick ego. So seeing the vocalists and guitarists rock out and interact with the audience on a legit level made me stoked that I came to the show.
It looked like the club was pretty full for 80 Proof. I’d say the crowd filled the place to about 80% of capacity. That was impressive for a Thursday night.
Did I mention that I was glad there wasn’t a mosh pit?
Another good thing to bring up, is that even though there was a lot of people there drinking and everything…everyone seemed cool with each other and there wasn’t any fighting. It had a comfortable vibe, despite the fact that there was such a mix of people in their 20’s and early 30’s there. (early 30’s being me)
-Tyler
