On March 4, Akron/Family’s extensive tour found itself at Beckham Hall in front of a mostly eager crowd of University students. The band has risen to international prominence over the last four or so years, and has now played at Wesleyan for two consecutive years, thanks to the sponsorship of seniors Max Horwich ’08 and Adam Tinkle’s ’08 music organization, the ICBM.
Formed in 2002, Akron/Family has released three full-length critically acclaimed records, including a split with band Angels of Light that online music magazine Tiny Mix Tapes called “the beginning of a symbiotic relationship built on musical exploration and appreciation.” The partnership between the two bands developed when Akron/Family began sending their demos to the label Young Gods Records, run by Michael Gira of Angels of Light.
Akron/Family’s debut was released in March of 2005 on Young Gods, and was met with such wonderment that most critics had no idea what to call it. Sounds of thunder, rocking chairs, and atonal growls permeated the album’s 13 tracks and announced the band as a fresh voice in today’s music. Although founding member Ryan Vanderhoof left the roster not long ago, the three remaining bandmates have slickened their often psychedelic music into a fabled live event.
The New York-based trio was joined by Durham, North Carolina’s Megafaun, as they played a well-contoured if occasionally indulgent set before the 100 or so people at Beckham. Opener Megafaun used their percussion-heavy sound to prime the decidedly sober audience into tentative dance. They were soon joined on stage by Akron/Family whose performance, like any other night, was tailored specifically to the crowd.
Unsure of the vast sterility of the hall, Akron/Family began their performance with a set of fragile and lush instrumentals, voicing chords in careful six-part harmony through their arsenal of equipment. The mercurial lighting of Beckham Hall initially peeved drummer Dana Janssen to the point of complaint, but as more people entered, the band instinctively perked up.
As the band mixed songs from their latest release, “Love Is Simple,” with freesform jams that seemed to have no real start or end, the crowd was galvanized into a head-bobbing stupor. Although Akron/Family didn’t attempt to play until sunrise (which they did three nights later at Princeton), the looks on everyone’s faces by the end of the evening were far from dull.
Attendee Josh Sharp ’09 called the performances “rich with sound,” and deemed both bands “extremely personable.” Indeed, it was the combination of distributed shakers, performers running through the audience, and a whole host of other flourishes that created the intimate, spiritual experience that the band has made its name on.
It was unfortunate that more members of the Wesleyan community either didn’t know about or couldn’t attend the performance of such an innovative and important band. Akron/Family have an innate and admirable appreciation of sound, and can turn any situation into one that is energized by music.
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