North Texas Daily

Alex Byrd

Intern

@AlexBrydNTDaily

The Boom Bachs and The Holophonics fused together at the Local Artist Series Tuesday night in the UNT Syndicate for a free instrumental weaving of greatness.

The five-person, 8-month-old ska music quartet, The Holophonics, blazed the stage first with ‘90s and early 2000s crowd favorites. Eric Daino (vocals/guitar), Harrell Petersen (vocals, trumpet), Shane Robert Reider (trombone), Tyler Waguespack (bass), and William Huebner (drums) collectively obliterated any preconceived notion that ska bands cannot entertain a crowd.

“Buddy Holly” by Weezer, “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix, “Creep” by Radiohead, and “Brown-eyed Girl” by Van Morrison were the highlights due to the heavy and enticing Caribbean influence paired with beautiful horn playing. While The Holophonics are personally inspired by Sublime, Reel Big Fish, and Less Than Jake, their sound is similar to mellowed out No Doubt.

The spotlight band of the week goes to the headliners of the night, The Boom Bachs. If the cool pun in their name is enough to sell you, see them live. Ever since these eight members opened for the now prolific Sore Losers in Dallas, they have no plans of resting, just crescendoing. Coining the genre of “space gospel,” these gentlemen are a hip-hop, jazz, and rock blend reminiscent of the E Street Band, minus Bruce Springsteen, paired with The Roots.

Adonias “A.D.” Wondwessen (vocals) and Marcus Wheat (trumpet and keys) started The Boom Bachs in April 2011 and joined forces with P. Manzell Bledsoe (tenor sax and flute), Matt Westmoreland (keys), Connor Veteto (guitar), Eric Daino (bass), Stephen Simpson (drums), and William Huebner (auxiliary percussion). Huebner and Daino maintained enough energy to give a second full-out performance after their hour-long one with The Holophonics.

While Tuesday night was not their best performance, the initial electrical difficulties may have hindered them slightly. The Boom Bachs are meticulous musicians, which is extremely rare in the age of studio manipulation.

“We always look forward to performing for the school,” Wondwessen said. “We consider this to be our home crowd and look forward to giving the love back that they give.”

Their execution of music is refreshing and can be seen again tonight at Buffalo West Presents: A Dedication to Rachel Strange of The Enablers in Fort Worth. The performance will celebrate the life of the lead vocalist of The Enablers, the late Rachel Strange.
Wheat and Westmoreland knew Strange and would like to commemorate her impact on music in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This free event starts at 7 p.m. and features The Enablers, The Boom Bachs and The Holophonics.

The Holophonics and The Boom Bachs are a big group of friends who that claim their bands are each other’s “alter egos,” but the fusion of the two entertained a crowd of 40 plus on Tuesday night. Photo by Adriana Rodriguez/Intern