Two Bands Get Meditative At The State House

After a Tuesday that wasn’t so super for a lot of folks, Wednesday provided a much-needed respite in the form of a double bill at The State House featuring New Haven’s own Headroom and returning favorites 75 Dollar Bill from Brooklyn. Could everyone decompress and feel the music? The answer was a hearty yes.

The feeling was already one of freedom and sweetness as the crowd filled in to the smell of incense and the sounds that DJ Darkglobe was spinning, an eclectic mix of beats that included Aris Sann’s ​“Dam Dam” and ​“Galactic Supermarket” by The Cosmic Jokers, bringing forth a few to ask what he was playing. He readily answered questions and created a communal vibe right from the start.

As soon as Headroom took to the stage the crowd’s substantial hum became immediately hushed. The band began without a word, diving right into the creation of their first song, one that began with one guitar and built into wave after wave of crashing psychedelic symphony courtesy of Kryssi Battalene, Stefan Christensen, and David Shapiro on guitars, Rick Omonte on bass, and Ross Menze on drums.

Through a five-song set of sprawling soundscapes, both the band and the audience members were often seen with eyes closed as if meditating or connecting on a psychic level with the music. The chat was kept to a minimum, both on stage and off. The audience seemed to be held captive by the band in the best way possible: no one seemed to be doing anything but listening to the music. No one was checking their phones or having conversations during a show for the first time in a long time. After the second song, Battalene told the audience the band was ​“happy to play” with 75 Dollar bill, and also announced a ​“very new” song. It included vocals by both Battalene and Christensen and the intricate guitar work they are known for, while the floor subtly vibrated with the heady rhythms of Shapiro, Omonte and Menze. This band loved what they were doing, and their fans loved them in return, their attention fixated on Battalene’s superior shredding and swooping feedback leading the rest through each and every turn. The set ended with thank yous and smiles all around.

75 Dollar Bill set up an array of instruments that seemed to be primarily percussion, including a variety of bells, small metal plates, maracas, and wooden sticks and boxes. Che Chen had two guitars behind him; the first one he chose to use had bells hanging from its neck. Rick Brown, seated next to him on a large wooden crate, held his own set of bells, which he shook while pounding another smaller wooden box on his lap. Eventually Brown traded out the bells for a mallet, which he used to play the box he was seated upon. All the while, the two made another type of sonically soothing yet exciting music that had the now-closer crowd swaying along ever so slightly to the beat as the two musicians created a sound that seemed way bigger than themselves, yet intimate in their interactions with each other and the audience.

Each piece had its own surprises and was unique in its undertaking. Sometimes a little more jazz, sometimes a bit more orchestral; they even got a bit more rock ​‘n’ roll honky-tonk flavored at one point. It all culminated with a piece that had Chen inviting up and introducing their friend David Lackner on baritone saxophone. He joined the duo for an extended jam that began with Chen trading out his guitar for a soprano saxophone. Brown got out a homemade horn that Chen later told me was made from oil-change funnels and a saxophone mouthpiece. Chen eventually returned to his guitar and Brown to his mallet and box during the piece, which at one point also saw Chen on the floor adding his own variety of percussion. The crowd was mesmerized, a whole row of them seated on the floor in front of the stage, some cross-legged and eyes closed as if meditating right along with the sound. Everyone on the stage and off left with smiles and perhaps a little more peace.