Oregon band Rootdown had its audience dancing, clapping and singing along at the band’s Pro Cat Cab performance April 20 in the Fred Meyer Lounge.

Rootdown is a four-man band from Eugene, Ore., featuring Paul Wright on vocals and guitar, Jackson Michelson on vocals and bass, Matt Salinas on guitar and Craig Paulson on drums.

Their sound was an upbeat reggae/rock style, and by the way the band members jumped and danced around the stage area, it was obvious they were having a good time. They were constantly encouraging the audience to clap and dance along.

“Audience involvement is important to us,” Wright said. “I think we feed off each other’s energy when we’re all in it like that. We want that crowd participation. If we’re getting that, it makes us feel like we’re doing our job right.”

There were several songs that the band had the audience sing along with the chorus, and even one that had the audience split into two groups, shouting a response call back to each other. But the song that got the best reaction from the audience was an unexpected improvisation session about halfway through the concert.

“Who watches the show ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’” Wright asked the audience. “We really like the improv on that show, so during our shows, we like to do some improv locally.”

Wright asked for suggestions of local things to include in their improvisation. The result was a song about the UFO parade, the Oregon burrito, Muchas Gracias, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and of course the Linfield mascot, the Wildcats.

“We don’t do improv like that for every show—it’s usually just if the moment’s right,” Wright said. “This was one of the best. I feel like it fit the college, it fit the town. Improv is something fresh and in-the-moment where we can show our talent. It’s engaging and entertaining, not just for the audience, but also for us, especially when it’s good like it was tonight.”

Rootdown has been playing together since 2007. According to Wright, the band has played at more than 70 colleges in the past couple of years.

“We played at a festival, and from that we got booked at a bunch of colleges from Alaska down through California, and over to Denver,” Wright said.

Rootdown’s new CD, “Tidal Wave,” has brought them attention from radio and record companies, as well as colleges.

“I liked their sound; I liked the bass. They had a good beat, and good audience involvement,” freshman Lexy Chapman said. “I love the freestyle rapping. I’ve been to a few concerts where they did that, and this was one of the better ones.”

The Cat Cab featured a number of Rootdown’s newest songs. Wright said playing new songs at concerts is the way the band tests them to see how people react to them.

“With songwriting, usually the music comes first, then I fit words to it,” Wright said. “Usually, I write about what’s going on in my life at the time, just whatever makes sense for the song. We also use a lot of improv during shows or in the studio, so songs can grow from that.”

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Sharon Gollery/Culture editor
Sharon Gollery can  be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Jess Penner sings and plays acoustic guitar during a Cat Cab on April 5 in the Fred Meyer Lounge. Alyssa Carano/Staff photographer

Singer-song writer Jess Penner strummed acoustic guitar and sang at an intimate Cat Cab on April 5 as a part of a small tour, but she can’t remember the first time she performed a song.

Penner said that one of her friends from kindergarten recently dug up a cassette recording of Penner’s first grade promotion ceremony. When they listened to the old recording, Penner’s singing was the only recognizable voice in the crowd.

“You could clearly distinguish me from everyone else,” Penner said. “It was this ridiculous vibrato voice. But you could tell I loved what I was doing.”

It’s always been like that for Penner. Music has continually filled the cracks in her life.

She learned to play guitar when she was about 12, melding her constant stream of singing with the sounds of acoustic chords.

Her music life became more serious when she was 14 when she started a band with a boy she met in high school.

Not long after the duo began performing, they were offered a record label from a Los Angeles-based recording studio. Some of their songs also began appearing on small radio stations.

This led Penner to tour from when  she was 16 to 21.

She didn’t attend college because of the large amount of time she had to devote to driving from one place to another, performing with her two band mates.

“My college experience turned out to be smelly: hours in a van with two boys,” Penner said.

Now, Penner is married and spends most of her time composing songs and playing local shows in Los Angeles.

She isn’t part of a band anymore, which she said she considers freeing in many ways.

“It’s great not to have to worry about other people and how their ambitions and dreams fit with yours,” she said. “But I do miss having the collaborative creative effort that working with other people offered.”

Even though she mostly plays solo now, Penner said that she enjoys the assistance of her husband, who is a drummer.

He is an engineer, but he spends a significant amount of time playing drums and assisting Penner with her recordings.

She said that she appreciates their shared interest in music, but that she is glad that she is the only lead singer and guitarist in the relationship.

“We don’t compete,” she said. “We work as a team, and all we do is music. I couldn’t do what I do without him, and he couldn’t do what he does without me.”

When Penner isn’t playing local shows, she sets aside consistent times to write songs.

“If you’re going to make music your business, you have to run it like a business,” she said.

Penner said that her song-writing process involves lots of sitting at the table, staring into space and waiting for lyrics to start streaming though her mind.

“I would say that my writing process is very mysterious,” she said. “It’s different every time and I don’t really know how it happens. Mostly, it’s just about being available and making time to create.”

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Joanna Peterson/Managing editor
Joanna Peterson can be reached at linfieldreviewmanaging@gmail.com.

Guitarist Marlin Gonda performs during Pocketknife’s Cat Cab on Nov. 10 in the Fred Meyer Lounge. Melanie Timmins/Senior photographer

Audience members danced and cheered enthusiastically as Portland, Ore., pop band Pocketknife made its college debut at the Pro Cat Cab on Nov. 10.

Pocketknife is signed by a Portland indie label SoHiTek and consists of four members: drummer Karen D’Apice, keyboardist Jessica Boudreaux, vocalist David Chase and guitarist Marlin Gonda.

The band began with Chase and Gonda playing with two other members they knew from school. Their drummer left the band and moved, and he was replaced with D’Apice. Shortly after, their keyboardist quit and was replaced by Boudreaux.

“I’m pretty sure I only got the keyboard spot because I look a lot like their old keyboardist. But at least I’m good at what I do, right?,” Boudreaux said.

The band was well-received by students.

“They were great,” freshman Peggy Barrett said. “Their sound was really unique, but also sounded like pop should sound. I loved it. It made me want to get up and dance around and be happy.”

Pocketknife’s excitement and enthusiasm showed in its performance. Each member was genuinely happy to be there, loving what they were doing.

They danced around with the beat of their music. Pocketknife has a happy, pop beat in each of its songs, making it hard not to dance along to it.

“They reminded me of a mixture of Death Cab for Cutie, Brand New and Owl City. Their music just made me want to dance around. It was so upbeat and enthusiastic. It just made me happy,” freshman Linnea Caso said.

Between all the dancing and joy in the room, Pocketknife’s performance was a good time for everyone present.

“Linfield was awesome, especially for our first college show,” D’Apice said. “Everyone was so nice and they all danced for us. A couple people even hung out for a while after the show to talk. This was definitely a good show.”

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Breanna Bittick/Staff writer
Breanna Bittick can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Jared Mahone presents his audience with an array of talents, styles, genres and original songs during the Pro Cat Cab on Nov. 3 in the Fred Meyer Lounge. Photos by Viktor Zhu/Staff photographer

Musician Jared Mahone is a grab bag of music—soul music, rap, beat-box, Michael Jackson, Black Eyed Peas and Disney.

On Nov. 3, the Ohio native returned to Linfield and showcased his multi-faceted musical talent to Linfield students.

The musician began singing a slow song with his guitar, followed by a song with beat-box. Meanwhile, the size of the audience doubled to a few dozen.

When asked how many of them had seen the last show, about a quarter of them raised their hands.

Throughout the night, Mahone kept interacting with his audience. He jokingly asked them not to get up and dance or to bob their heads. Instead, he told the audience to nod  to themselves, to him or to their neighbors. The crowd was amused by his demonstration of these “proper responses.”

Before continuing, Mahone revealed the secret of his richly layered music—sound panel.

He explained that his music is rhythmic and needs the layers. Thus, when his band members are absent, he will record part of his music when playing a song and keep replaying it throughout that song to make up for the missing parts.

He then invited the audience to help add to the texture by snapping along.

After that, he talked about his inspirations. He once wrote a song inspired by a girl with whom he has gone from dating to breakup to reunion within a week in a summer camp.

The musician also said he was raised with soul and hip hop music, which inevitably became a big influence in his music.

However, inspirations also included theme songs of TV or radio programs and Disney songs.

“The common factor is me,” Mahone said.

Then before anyone expected it, he performed an a cappella version of one of his childhood favorites—“Part of Your World.”

After the Disney song, he started beat-boxing and sang remixes of pop songs. Meanwhile, he controlled his imaginary DJ panel and gave different effects.

Following the performance, Mahone said that of all his artistic inspiration, there was one who influenced him the most. He then revealed the answer with Michael Jackson’s “Do You Remember.”

Mahone, who has been challenging himself to write a song a week, finished the show with his latest songs. The songs drew inspirations from daily life and people around him.

These songs include “He Doesn’t Get It,” a song about lopsided relationships, and “From: Joe To: Betsy,” a touching song about his late grandmother from his grandfather’s perspective.

Although the audience was not passionate during the show, they generally enjoyed and appreciated Mahone’s performance.

Sophomore Francesca Walpole said that he was versatile.

In return, Mahone was satisfied with the audience response.

“They were chilled and enjoyed the way they wanted to enjoy,” he said, explaining that the night was more of a song writing discussion and showcase of new songs.

Having been working as an independent artist for six years, he said he enjoyed what he did and was not interested in chasing after a deal from record companies who could restrict his creativity.

“I am an independent musician from the mid-west who loves music,” he said.

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Cassie Wong/Staff writer
Cassie Wong can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

A guitarist blurred storytelling and music during a Pro Cat Cab on Oct. 27, creating a performance that emphasized the human experience.

Cary Judd, a 26-year-old Wyoming-based artist, said that even though he is a professional musician, he considers himself as more of a writer than anything.

His music has roots
digging back to his childhood, when he received his first guitar during a visit to his aunt and uncle’s house in Chicago.

His uncle, who was a police officer at the time, brought him home a guitar that previously belonged to a homeless man who had been found dead, Judd said.

“It was an interesting way to get a first guitar,” he said.

In some ways, receiving a guitar from a deceased homeless man foreshadowed how diverse and eclectic Judd’s musical career would be.

In 2003, Judd started booking his own shows and building his repertoire until he was in a financially viable position to make music his full-time career.

Judd said that storytelling through music was something that had always appealed to him. He said that both his parents and teachers pushed him to pursue writing.

“I consider myself a writer first,” Judd said. “I’m not a brave or diverse musician. Writing is where my talent lies.”

He said that this love for writing soaks into his songs, such as “Apocalypic Love Song,” which stitches words and music together to explore Judd’s worldviews. He said that writing the song was a stream of consciousness-style experience.

“It took less than an hour to write the
completed song,” Judd said.  “It’s about how we see the world and the things that make the world a better place or a worse place—everything from government to money to religion to personal relationships.”

Judd said that being a professional musician and touring to a broad range of places has expanded his worldview.

“I’ve been part of all kinds of bizarre scenarios that happen when you travel across the country,” he said. “I’ve performed for as few as 15 people to as many as 20 thousand people. I’ve met and stayed with audience members, I’ve seen bar fights and I’ve slept on the floor of crack houses. There have been times that I’ve sat down with governors and there have been times that I’ve spent time talking with prostitutes and drug dealers.”

Judd said that he’s incorporating these off-beat adventures into a memoir about his musical life. Before that, he published a how-to manual on touring. He is also in the process of writing a novel, but he said that he isn’t willing to release details about the story yet.

“Writing enables me to see life from the standpoint of different characters,” he said. “It gets to the point that I’m watching the human experience from an alien perspective. And that’s one of the luxuries of being a writer—your mind doesn’t overtake you, but rather, you use it as a tool.”

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Joanna Peterson/Managing editor
Joanna Peterson can be reached at linfieldreviewmanaging@gmail.com.

Shane Henry performs one of his songs during a Pro Cat Cab on Oct. 6 in the Fred Meyer Lounge. Victor Zhu/Staff photographer

A piano and acoustic guitar duo from Oklahoma serenaded the audience at the Oct. 6 Pro Cat Cab.

Shane Henry and Maggie McClure are both solo artists, but also perform as a duo.

The two of them came together musically after McClure opened a show for Henry when she was only 16 years old. They continued opening shows for each other, with McClure occasionally doing Henry’s backup vocals and vise versa.

Three years ago, they made the decision to come together as a duo.

“They were really good. Shane’s voice reminded me of a mix of John Mayer and Adam Lavigne, and her voice was just absolutely beautiful,” freshman Linnea Caso said.

The audience seemed to  love Henry and McClure. They listened very attentively, clapped, danced in their seats and even sang along when Henry performed a cover of “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson.

“Linfield was such a fun crowd; they were all so sweet and attentive,” Henry said. “Sometimes you get crowds that just don’t care and talk through your whole performance, it was nice to have a crowd that cared.”

Both artists played original and personal songs from their albums, including a song off Henry’s album called “Portland,” about his sister leaving Oklahoma and moving 2,000 miles away to Portland.

“I loved them so much,” freshman Lexi Heredia said. “They’re both super talented. One of their songs really hit home with me and made me cry.”

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Breanna Bittick/Staff writer
Breanna Bittick can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Jimmy Austin on the trombone and Frank Vitolo on the saxophone play at E-clec-ti-city’s Pro Cat Cab on Sept. 29 in the Fred Meyer Lounge. Joe Ray/Photo editor

E-clec-ti-city, a soul band based in Bellingham, Wash., put on an energetic performance at the Sept. 29 Pro Cat Cab. E-clec-ti-city caught the audience’s attention quickly with their unique sound.

The six-piece band is made up of vocalist and guitarist Samuel Eisen-Meyers, drummer Christian Casolary, bassist Matt Pollock, Frank Vitolo on the saxophone, Jimmy Austin on the trombone, and Justin Smith on the organ.

Each member joined E-clec-ti-city with a background in different corners of the music world. As they played, strong influences could be heard from both jazz and reggae in the guitar, trombone and saxophone. E-clec-ti-city members combine their different backgrounds to mix in heavy solos and poetic verses. The variety combined with all of their emotion and passion for music made their music even more energetic.

“I really liked them. They had a great sound and I loved the trombone solos,” junior Kira Weaver said.

E-clec-ti-city is known for playing at Western Washington University, but they’re starting to expand and are trying to play as many colleges as possible.

“Playing at Linfield was awesome. The campus here is beautiful, and the crowd was so energetic. We’re so happy Evan could get us this show,” vocalist Samuel Eisen-Meyers said.

E-clec-ti-city looked like they were having a good time on stage, and the crowd was having a good time watching them. Everyone danced and had a good time throughout the entire set. After the show, the members of E-clec-ti-city took some time to meet the crowd and hang out before cleaning up and leaving.

“They were great. They were different, and interesting, and very rhythmic. It just made me want to dance,” junior Katharine Holm said.

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Breanna Bittick/Staff writer
Breanna Bittick can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.