You gotta love those shows that pleasantly surprise you. Well recently I saw the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. in Lawrence, KS and was pleasantly surprised at the utterly enjoyable time I had.
Their music is simplistic and light, while still managing to evoke an undeniable groove in its listeners.
The duo of Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott took the tiny venue of the Jackpot and infiltrated it with their 80s pop-esque melodies. Adorned in NASCAR apparel, the gents and their tour drummer drifted through hits mostly off of their recent album Horse Power EP.
While their music could be thought of in a mellower limelight if heard in the mp3 form, however, once on stage it took on a completely different style. Still remaining primarily synth-focused and guitar-laden, the boys took those elements and kicked them up a few notches.
Take the song “Simple Girl” – through the sounds of headphones, the song is catchy and airy, however not quite laced with energy. Yet when this song popped up on stage, the harmonies took hold of the guitar hooks and danced around the room. Before you knew it your head was gently swaying back and forth and a giant smile had come across your face.
Most of the numbers in their set started off delicate and once the beat dropped or the chorus waltzed in, the crowd was entranced. “Nothing But Our Love” was a great example of a slight hip-hopped beat acting as a backbone to the song and bumping up that aforementioned energy level.
A few patriotic and hometown shouts sprouted up throughout the evening essentially fueling the individuality this band obviously has. Their music is on the infectious level of Vampire Weekend and the like. Actually if you put VW together with their recent tour support Beach House, you’d get something like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. It’s an equation that works out well.
-Rachel Fredrickson
