I am three beers in while the No Show Ponies are setting up their instruments at Scott's. I am always a bit hesitant about original acts but I had done my homework on this band and they claimed some interesting influences in everyone from U2 to The Smiths....so I figured they were worth a shot. Jeff and Ben Brown kick it off by dimming the house lights and shooting the crowd dreamy looks, I gulp some Guinness. It only takes a few bars of music to ease my trepidations about the No Show Ponies.
They open up with some poppy lyrics about a girl, which are accompanied by a classical beat. The drums, played by Jordan Shrover are clean and predictable and despite the small venue he doesn't drown out his brother, the bassist Jason. I can't help but think of The Boss, which makes their cover of some old Springsteen tune quite apropos. They play several songs as their fans, mostly attractive young females, get up to show off for their ponies. I look around and realize...damn, this is a rock band. At the end of the show I bought a copy of their CD Blueprint which was recorded at the Green Room further up town. A CD cost me $10 which equates to two Guinness; obviously I enjoyed the band.
The next morning I choked down an aspirin and pounded some water while I tried to reflect upon my feelings for NSP. Here is a band working and playing in Central Pennsylvania patiently waiting for Tommy Mottola to sign them to his new label, BUT they manage to put on the air of rock stars in the mean time. Amidst college and work, they seem to find plenty of time to feed their egos. They are followed by hoards of girls (one of whom I am likely to become) waiting to hear these attractive guys croon the words that every girl has longed to hear from a man since puberty; launching them towards the path of John Mayer, The Goo Goo Dolls, or my personal fav, Toad the Wet Sprocket.
As I listened to the CD again, I realized that the lyrics are more insightful than I had initally thought. The music was mildly predicatble and it would have been all to easy to dismiss them as bar musicians, but I predict that this band is going places. They have one quality that is often lacking in young musicians--synergy! They listen to, understand and adjust to their fellow bandmates. Perhaps it is their fraternity or a juggernaut amount of practice, but this band is tight. By their next album I expect to hear a bit more lyrical and musical variance which will set them apart from the crowd and get them into larger venues. I suggest looking them up at the link below and catching a live show. The No Show Ponies definitely take a blue in this judges circle for skill, originiality, and dedication.
