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Print It’s a warm afternoon, September 2, 2005, and getting progressively hotter. Rumor has it that the next big thing in Apostolic rock is going to be playing in Lents Park in Portland, Oregon; some of these rumors have even been e-mailed directly into my inbox from the band’s vocalist. I feel it’s a pretty sure thing that they’ll be there, so instead of spending my entire Labor Day weekend transcribing Django Reinhart tunes, I decide I’ll try to catch this new band in their first venture outside the sanctuary of their home church. Lents Park turns out to be bigger than I expected. After driving the nearly six block length of the park, I’ve passed a baseball game, but haven’t seen a band anywhere. I circle: playground, Indian pow-wow; no, no again. The other side of the park seems deserted, and the baseball field is coming into view once more. Is this the right park? Then, something like a bandstand appears, nestled behind the little stadium/bleachers of the ball field. I roll down the window, and across the empty stretch of a sometime soccer field comes the sound of pounding drums and some aimless guitar noodling. I’m here in time for the warm up. This is ‘Godson’; Godson…like Erickson, or Johnson. Not God-Son. Got it? It’s important that you say it correctly. The ‘band wives’ are firmly entrenched in a couple of lawn chairs a straight stone’s throw out from the front of the stage, while the rest of the family, friends and fellow churchgoers seek shelter from the sun beneath a tree off to one side. After much running to and fro, and more pounding and noodling, the group onstage suddenly forms a huddle in front of the drumset. They are about to start, as this sudden display of order must be the ‘time of prayer and fasting’ necessary prior to entering the fray.
And Then They Rocked Aaron Buffington wraps himself around the mic stand and sways with the music. At times his voice is reminiscent of Mac Powell from Third Day, which is enhanced by a slight dose of distortion. (I was unaware that you could run a microphone through a guitar amp for vocals. Last time I tried this at home, I got a tremendous amount of feedback, and that was all.) After two or three covers, the band launches into some original material. This band knows how to play crunchy power chords, and more abundantly. Several of the baseball players amble over to check out the music, and a few other passers-by join the audience. For such persons, bright yellow flyers have been printed up, with band member bios, and an invitation to join them at their church. I review mine, and find that the information is mostly along the lines of: (name here) is the (singer, drummer, bass player, guitarist) for Godson. In addition to that, we are informed that three of the members are married, one of them is “happily married” and the remaining one is single. To end the bio on each of them is a reference to their favorite band. (Eric Smiley, the lead guitarist for Godson, cites Godson as his favorite band. Perhaps he doesn’t get out much. But that’s okay, according to his bio, he “enjoys spending time with his family.”) It’s nice of them to be so open and sharing with us all at their first gig, but let’s get back to the music.
More Music They put this to good use on a couple of their songs. The songs aren’t all that bad, seeing as they’ve only been at this a couple months; actually, some of them are just as good as what you’d hear on mainstream Christian radio. There are the few clichéd lyrics here and there where you can guess what’s going to be sung next. Perhaps that’s why I’m a little skeptical of them: they seem to follow the sort of formulaic pattern that most of what’s out there follows. Then again, all music follows some ‘standard’ formulae, whether it’s the AABA jazz form on that Django record I left at home, or the catchy pop/rock of today: it all depends on what you have a taste for. (My intent is not to be a music snob or jazz purist here; simply an objective reporter who wants to see musicians striving for more than mediocrity.) So yeah, this is a decent band, with a definite chance of going somewhere and being liked by people who are into this sort of music. The set is over, and the band members stream offstage into the loving arms of spouses and so forth. So what if the singer goes a little off key at the end of his phrases? This wouldn’t be an issue if he could hear himself. Again, an actual sound system would help. But hey, that would cost money, and this is a free show. “If you stick around a bit, and some more people show up, we’ll play the same set again in about half an hour,” Aaron announces. Sure, why not?
ninetyandnine.com © 2005, John Van Beek ---------- John Van Beek currently resides in Portland. Previously he lived elsewhere; namely as an MK (missionary kid) in or around Liverpool, England. He is currently attempting to become a “really good guitar player.” More information can be found here: www.geocities.com/classicrambler66. Check out Godson at: www.godsontheband.com |
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