MixedContent

Bonobo with guests The Hermit, June 27th 2005 @ Commodore Ballroom

Bonobo played a fantastic show. This is beautiful cinematic music played with technical and thoughtful precision. The songs were tightly arranged and it was incredible how a theme started by the keyboards would be picked up and expanded by an acoustic guitar. The melodic development was almost classical in nature.
The beats and grooves were incredible as well. While many bands in this genre rely heavily on recorded samples and drum patterns, Bonobo’s set was very ‘live’ sounding, and this is a great thing. There was certainly no ‘play along to the DJ’ vibe that often occurs, but at the same time, the drums sounded crisp, strong, and in your face (right where they should be). The band also looked like they were having a great time on stage, probably in response to the packed dance floor of the commodore. One of my favorite shows so far!

Local openers The Hermit had a unique and interesting ‘organic groove’ sound going on. The rhythm section was quite tight, and I really enjoyed the singing of Paula Toledo. I’ve seen C.R. Avery perform many times, in almost as many situations, but to my ears, his truly jaw dropping beat boxing and harmonica work sounded out of place in this context. I also think the performance was slightly marred by a lack of rehearsal time for the group. Some of the arrangements sounded pretty loose.