Juice, a young Seattle ska band consisted of a lead and rhythm guitar player, drummer, bassist, tenor sax, and trombone and trumpet player. The group as a whole performed very strongly, their sense of timing and teamwork brought the set together. However, their individual playing abilities were far below their organizational skills and caused the sound quality to suffer. The rhythm guitar player/vocalist was harsh and out of tune in many of the songs. As the venue began to pack more bodies and heat, his guitar grew sharper, causing the sound of his music to pierce the ears of the audience. The bass player’s volume was to quite when compared to the rest of the group and he lurked in the corners of the stage, barely noticeable. As for the horn section, the trumpet and trombone player lacked communication with the band and each other. The trombone player played most of his horn into the ground, which left very little sound to reach the audience. Because he was sharing a mike with the trumpet player, the trombone player was hardly noticeable as the trumpet blared across the room. If the trombone player had raised his arms to lift the trombone higher, he would have been heard more clearly, as well as increased his lung capacity. The average young trumpet player enjoys blaring high notes at insane speeds with no regard to anyone else. This is exactly what the trumpet player did. The sax and trombone player stayed quite, below the vocals and constantly checked to see if they were in tune, however the trumpet player continued to play out to much and covered much of the band and never checked to see if he was in tune. The sound of this band was pathetic and made me want to walk an unforgiving path for staying to listen to them. However, the riveting sound of Poke Da Squid made everything better.
Considered as one of the best professional ska bands in Seattle, alongside Natalie Wouldn’t, Poke Da Squid has five members. The lead guitar players, rhythm guitar, lead vocalist, bassist, and a drummer. Together and individually, they play terrifically well and would be highly recommended to watch considering the high level of energy the put into a crowd. The excitement and enthusiasm from each band member makes you want to jump into the mosh pit, screaming and skanking alongside every other fan. At no point in the set is any musician louder than the vocalist except during a solo. Eye contact is constantly made, especially with the drummer, who acts as the conductor to the group. He sets the rhythm and energy for the group at the beginning and holds that through the set until the end. Each soloist steps out in their moment, and everyone else back off behind him/her. During the guitar solo, you could watch as the drummer and bassist turned down their instruments to showcase the solo. As the set went on, the singer reached out to the crowd for participation and encouragement and as the group got louder, so did the crowd.
The bands I listened to were quite an awakening to the musical talents of bands and individuals. Much of the experience I have gained in orchestra has helped me avoid mistakes that other musicians make playing in groups. Playing to loud or out of tune, watching the conductor for rhythm, as well as the rest of your section to make sure everyone is in line. Playing behind other musicians during a quite section and getting louder to grab the crowd’s attention and control them by the reins.