EPISODE AND PRELOW AT CONVERSE RUBBER TRACKS

It’s been a looong time since I’ve been to a show where they don’t serve alcohol, and man is it weird.

You sometimes forget how much alcohol adds to the overall experience of a show, but Thursday night’s show with Prelow and Episode at Converse Rubber Tracks was a stiff reminder of what grabbing drink in-between bands can do for a night.

In some ways, the sobriety was carefully designed by the promoters to the event, Yuma and Red Bull. While the show’s facebook page promoted the show as having “free drinks” and “free music,” the “free drinks” amounted to little more than a couple girls in Red Bull tea shirts and Red Bull pouches milling around asking people “have you had your Red Bull today?”

I had been confused by the free-ness of the event, but then I realized that this wasn’t a music event, this was a promotional event populated by city college kids who were either friends of the band or saw this as a sober alternative to frat parties and over 21 parties.

And that’s all well and good, I was a sober college kid at one point, and I understand the frustration of being underage and not having a fake I.D. to get into clubs.

The club vibe was carefully reconstructed by the bands that followed. First up was Prelow a trio fronted by an emphatic Jesse Aicher playing guitar and singing, while Matt Archer laid down some chill club beats. They also had an unnamed third member who played guitar like a synthesizer. It warmed up the crowd of late teens and early twenty somethings who were bobbing their heads and some who were dancing.

Headliners, Episode, took the stage at around 10:30 and played a set that contained songs from their E.P. Hold On and featured multiple guest performances. Billing themselves as “Alt-Pop” Episode was fronted by Lonner who’s rapping and singing drew from Eminem, Drake, and The Beastie Boys at their most rocking. He was flanked by a five piece which included a synth, bass, drums, guitar and backup singer. The band sounded like they were influenced by Outkast, with the backup vocals trading off with Lonner, sounding like a sendup to one of Rihanna and Eminem’s collaborations.

Highpoints to the set were the featured artists. An energetic Kiah Victoria joined the band for the song “Light,” and Stefen Weiner joined for “Hold On,” both off Hold On. Unfortunately, not all of the songs were as memorable and genres clashed when the guitarist played more rock oriented material. It was a confusing mess at times with synthesizers that were too high in the mix, and drums that overplayed break and funk beats. It didn’t help that the mixing suffered, with Lonner being drowned out at times.

All in all, it was a night with a lot of free stuff and some good music. I wish I could have gotten some pancakes and/or whiskey… mostly whiskey (cue: website) but still, it was a nicely packaged night, full of bands that connected with a college crowd looking for a sober night in Brooklyn.

Article by: Steven Klett

Photos by: Lesley Keller