Four Bands Make Gather Dance

Gather, the coffee shop and restaurant located at 952 State St., ran wild with drums, guitars, sound systems, and more from the four bands that performed there on Friday night. With a combined 17 band members and double that amount of audience members, the shop felt like it could burst at the seams. Instead of exploding outward, the energy in the room folded in on itself to create a volcanic mass of writhing bodies and whirring rhythms.

Shed Life performed first, a math-punk band featuring Brian Card on vocals, Evan Delaney on guitar, Sean Keegan on bass, Jon Christina on drums, and Eric Peterson on guitar and what Delaney called ​“yelling into the mic.” They played a series of songs including covers like ​“Catalina” and originals like ​“We Still Talk,” maintaining earthquake levels of energy throughout. The room shook as if filled with a herd of horses, alternatively trotting and stampeding across the floor. The audience danced like puppets suspended on strings held by a demanding master, creating a mass of bopping heads and flailing limbs. Card led the crowd by example, throwing himself into the music as he hunched over and then threw himself upright as though drawing strength from the coffee shop floor.

Next up, The Jawns played an alternative set ranging from indie alt to punk. Composed of Nate Bannich (bass, rhythm, guitar, vocals), Caden Potvin (bass, guitar, vocals), Layne Kramer (lead guitar, bass), Aurora Barbosa (lead singer), Ethan Burke (drums), and Ledger Bartholomew (saxophone), The Jawns covered a variety of genres with versatility and skill. ​“We basically go with the vibe of the venue to choose the line up,” said Aurora Barbosa. They chose to feature an alternative sound at Gather in order to best ​“compliment the other bands.”

Coming after Shed Life, The Jawns brought Gather down from a roaring to a rumbling of sound. They played original songs like ​“Simpler Times” and covers like ​“This Charming Man” by The Smiths. Between songs, The Jawns regularly paused to switch out their instruments. ​“We’re gonna make our lefty guitarist play a righty guitar upside down,” explained Barbosa. ​“All our guitarists are multi-talented and enjoy playing bass.” She paused for a moment, then looked around at the shuffling exchange of instruments. ​“Wait, why does the drummer have a pic?”

“Unfortunately, I’m gonna need you all to start dancing or I’m gonna throw hands,” Barbosa said, as The Jawns launched into ​“This Charming Man.” The threat proved unnecessary. Everyone leapt to their feet to dance. It may have been the first time in a while anyone attempted to mosh to The Smiths, as well as the first time they succeeded. Potvin took the lead on vocals — ​“I’m Morrissey, but not alt-right” — while Barbosa darted out into the crowd to dance and slipped back up to the mic just in time to harmonize, barely avoiding a hit in the head from Bannich’s guitar.

2/14, a pop-punk/alt-rock band composed of Sky Carlson on guitar and vocals, Dylan Tanganas on bass, and Ben Bustamante on drums, came up next. They brought the tempo back up to a deafening riot, making bodies crash across the floor and into each other in an amicable tangle. 2/14 performed a series of originals like ​“Crystal Ball” and ​“Escalator,” to ear-bursting success. The sound spilled out of Gather onto the street, drawing passersby to the show like moths to a flame.

Ambulance Chasers finished the night by de-escalating the chaos to a smooth combination of singer-songwriter rock ​‘n’ roll. Mike Tobey played bass, with Andrew Byrne on drums and Billy Scovill on guitar and vocals. They performed four originals, including ​“Falling Down” and ​“Sway.” ​“I just want to sway with you baby,” crooned Scovill, with a voice not unlike Bob Dylan. The room swayed along with him.

As the night drew to a close, the audience left Gather with tired bodies and ringing ears. From punk to rock and roll, it had been an evening of changing tempos and never-wavering energy. The crowd excited the coffee shop with a list of names to look up on Spotify, and the satisfaction of a Friday night well spent. The music may fade, but the memories linger on like the last strum on a guitar.