Electronic rock duo Phantogram and local folk group Yellow Roman Candles lit up the Bates campus on May 20th, with Bates DJ Jamie Cook closing out the show. Yellow Roman Candles, based in Bath, Maine, journeyed up to share several original compositions with a growing crowd of Bates students in the Mays Center. The mellow lights and reverberating acoustic instruments set the tone for the group’s stellar performance. In the words of WRBC’s Doug Ray:
Yellow Roman Candles is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Aaron Morse, and based on their first release, If It’s Right, there is a sense that this band could really make a run at achieving a certain level of national notoriety. The album certainly has shades of LaMontagne’s earlier work. Its gritty and working-class sensibilities leave the listener transported to perhaps a greater understanding of the plight of much of middle America….. If It’s Right is a decidedly raw album, which, if given a few listens can really tear into one’s soul. It’s part Springsteen and part Dylan, but certainly all Maine. Not to say that I am surprised, but this simple little album proves that Yellow Roman Candles will one day be deserving of a place among the pantheon of great Maine folk musicians.”
Phantogram took the stage next, playing songs off of their recent full-length release, Eyelid Movies. The performance featured Josh Carter on guitar and keyboardist Sarah Barthel playing and singing over big-beat inspired drum machines. The band’s simple setup echoed the style of Matt & Kim, who proved that complex is not always best at a Bates show last fall. Barthel mixed the performance live onstage, layering different parts to create a sound that was both expressive and danceable. It was easy to see why the duo are known for their energetic live performances. The night was capped off with a DJ set from Bates’ Jamie Cook, a preeminent campus DJ.
http://www.myspace.com/phantogram
http://www.myspace.com/theyellowromancandles
http://www.myspace.com/jamiemcook
Photographs courtesy of Peter Senzamici