Karen Ponzio Photo
Goat Herder.
After the third song of Slip and Fall’s highly energetic set, vocalist Pete asked the audience, “Can you hear it? Can you feel it?”
The audience responded with an overwhelming yes Friday night at Cafe Nine hosted three bands coming together for one reason only: to warm up anybody out on a colder than usual spring night.
Productive Member from New London took to the stage first, launching into song after unrelenting song of hardcore punk. Vocalist Audrey Davis had already elicited wows from a couple audience members during sound check and continued to impress throughout the set, occasionally accompanied on vocals by guitarist Chris David. Cameron Muller on bass and DK on drums kept the beat raw and heavy but also allowed it to become more intricate at times. DK also donned a few masks during the set, one being a Guy Fawkes-type face covering with the word resist across the forehead. They kept flying off as his drumming became more powerful. He even provided the audience with an extended drum solo, something rarely seen during a punk rock set.
The band members clinked glasses between two songs. “We waste more time drinking. Alcohol is one of our biggest influences,” Chris joked, though it was obvious that the band was quite serious about the music they were playing. With a mix of covers and originals — the band recently put a new album out — that brought the audience closer to the stage as the set progressed, this band set tone for the rest of the night with their musical and vocal adventurousness.
New Haven’s own Slip and Fall including Pete on vocals, Kevin on guitar and vocals, John on bass, and Mike on drums. Pete, as high-energy a front man as you will ever see, began the set on the floor in front of the stage and spent the rest of the set jumping between stage and floor as the music and crowd moved him to do so. Slip and Fall’s tight and explosive ska punk encouraged the crowd to move forward even more and dance right from the first tune on. Their final song, with the repetition of the lyrics “I don’t wanna dance no more” got the audience, well, dancing along with Pete even more than before, and even as Pete inserted a couple of verses of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” into the mix. Slip and Fall have a demo up on Bandcamp are currently working on their first full-length release.
The room was then sufficiently warm for the New Haven-based Goat Herder. Vocalist Nick Martin thanked the other bands for joining Goat Herder on the bill and mentioned that his own band was “kinda new, kinda not,” right before diving into the first song, “Citizen’s Quest.” Martin’s vibrant and distinct vocals were amply backed by Joe Zaffino on guitar, Sean Saxton on bass, and Phred Rawles on drums. The music was as powerful and hard as everyone seemed to expect and want. The crowd by this time were right up against the front of the stage, dancing and banging into one another by the third song. The band’s strength and coherence never faltered, and Martin continued to offer serious and joyful banter in between songs, mentioning a few audience members by name (as well as a few prominent political figures) while offering both a soaring and searing delivery of vocals with each and every song.
The last line of the last song — “I love you, don’t you know it” — seemed to be the message of the night, as the crowd continued to drink and dance way past the bands leaving the stage. Everyone was not only sufficiently warmed up, but intent on keeping the good vibe going.