Jacob Hemphill, SOJA vocals and guitar.
B-Liminal, The Supervillians, and SOJA
Culture Room
Sept. 6, 2008
Review and Photos by Laura Herrera
Moments before Culture Room opened its doors, a friend walked up to me and said, "I am so stoned right now." The same could be said by most of the crowd that night: SOJA and The Supervillains were in town.
These weren’t the typical morose concertgoers waiting around in cliques for a band to sing about alienation and break-ups. The vibrant array of colors throughout the crowd captured the vibes they gave off. It could have been the feel-good energy that people were sending around or the "green" scent their clothes let off, but nonetheless, everyone was a social butterfly that night. The bands hadn’t even begun playing yet and the venue scene felt more like a party with friends than a concert.
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The cloud of festivities setting upon the Culture Room set the stage for the opening act. B-Liminal, local to Jupiter Beach, started off the night with their reggae-surf fusion. Their sound was a decently accurate preview of the bands to come, but they still knew how to warm up a crowd.
With a laid-back mood already set in place, The Supervillains were a wake up call. Though they started off with light songs, a circle pit opened the second the band took the stage.
The Supervillains’ stage presence was unlike any other. While many bands just stand and deliver song after song, they integrated themselves into crowd "activities." The highlight of their set included the saxophone player, Smally, and trumpet player, Cardo, taking long drags of a fan’s joint during "Resin." A song dedicated to getting high commands that kind of action. In that case, it was no wonder why a dense cloud of smoke accumulated over the audience.
Max, bassist B-liminal
As The Supervillains roared on, the audience became wild. "St. Thomas," a crowd favorite and infamous sing-a-long, pumped up the fans. With every continuous holler of "St. Thomas!" the crowd’s jeers grew louder only to end at the climactic song, "The Pit." The Supervillains enticed the crowd to turn the whole dance floor into a giant circle pit. From the size of the newly created black hole that was the pit, it was evident that South Floridians took a challenge personally.
From there, the song’s tempos were toned down, creating interesting effects on some fans. During "Maryjane and Jagermeister," about five fans began circling around a water bottle in slow motion as if worshipping the small object. When continuing to do the same with a shoe, the "flying" fans became an entertaining spectacle.
Soon after, the music went on hiatus as the stage was prepared for Soldiers of Jah Army, more commonly known as SOJA. More fans trickled into the Culture Room up until the lights went back down, dreads took over the stage, and the band plunged into its first song.
The softcore reggae jams swam through the crowd’s bodies as they moved to the rhythm. The pit was never revived, but there was no need since most people just danced with whomever was next to them at the time. Others were at ease dancing on their own. A wave of relaxation had hit the crowd and SOJA’s seemingly endless song progression kept the mood alive.
Occasionally, more upbeat songs, like the 2008 version of "You Don’t Know Me," prompted fans to sing along. At one point, the energy had heightened to a level where fans decided to rush the stage mid-set. About 15 to 20 people jumped on stage to dance alongside the band. The view from the stage was euphoric, that is, until bouncers proceeded to push everyone off.
Between the dancing, relaxing music and great company, the show was unlike any other. There was a spark of hope for a South Florida scene yet again and the opportunity for a good reggae show should never be passed up by any life-loving person.
Let us know what you think at: outloud@outloud.com.