Drovers show lacks upbeat jig-like sound

Whenever a favorite band of yours shows up in Oberlin to play at the 'Sco, you have to prepare yourself for one of two possibilities. Either they're going to be a big disappointment because their appearance is too good to be true, or else it's going to put on a great show but you're too paranoid to realize it.

The Drovers show on Feb. 16 was an example of both cases. They put on a great show, but at the same time they were somewhat disappointing to people expecting the hardcore jig music of the band's earlier days.

The Chicago-based band played for about an hour and a half, performing mainly material from their new album, Little High Sky Show, with two songs from their 1994 release, Kill Mice Elf. This last album has earned the Drovers a pretty loyal following in the college music scene and material from it has been picked up by many small radio stations.

The songs played on Friday bled together nicely and would usually include nice long grooves with solos played on violin, guitar or mandolin. These psychedelic pieces would often include a bit of Irish flavor from the violinist, sometimes completely unexpected, but as a whole the songs did not generally lend themselves to those fans who were more jig-inclined.

No songs were played from the Drovers' earliest release, World of Monsters, which left the audience without the hardcore jiggable sound that could really have made the show fantastic.

Of course, the band only had four of the six members that have been a part of the Drovers in the past. These other members have contributed on flute and accordion, among other things, and the loss of their talents has probably been the major factor in turning the Drovers to the experimental style they have now adopted.

At the start of the show there were about 100 people in attendance, though at the end maybe only 40 faithfully remained for the whole show. More would probably have stayed if the Drovers had played more upbeat, jig-like selections. Many people stayed seated the whole time, although about 20 danced to a few of the numbers. At times the music would be frenzied and the crowd would react similarly; other times no one would be moving except the band members.

It was a good show, especially so if you caught the opening band, the Fruitflies. The duo, often trio, played more traditional-sounding Irish music with guitar, violin, and sometimes dobro or viola as they called up various friends to play with them on different songs. With this band you definitely got your money's worth. They concluded with a good ol' drinking song as they tried to entice the 60 or so in attendence to wag their beers in time with the music.

And if you accepted the fact that the Drovers put on a good show, instead of feeling let down by their new sound, then you should count the night, and the money, well-spent.

Little High Sky Show: The Drovers look to the sky withtheir most recent album Little High Sky Show but let some of the audience at the 'Sco last Friday down with their uncharacteristic new sound.