20 Watts

Sarah Aument and the rest of O, Morning Records rocked Funk 'n Waffles on Friday, 11/6

You never know what to expect while stumbling down the stairs of Syracuse’s Funk ‘n Waffles on the night of a show. Acts can alternate between amateurs and professionals, hip-hop and folk-rock. Lucky for the college crowd that O, Morning Records was on the job last night, serving an aesthetically and musically eclectic platter of shoegazing, dancing and hand-clapping.

Sarah Aument, O, Morning’s very first signee, headlined the show with her new band. Before her came stellar performances from Bears in America, Mouth’s Cradle and The Northbound Traveling Minstrel Jug Band. Not many student acts in the Syracuse area can realistically follow The NTMJB, the liveliest of the night and probably the biggest crowd-pleaser.

This put Aument in a tight position. It’s not that her music fails to stand up to the Jug Band’s — quite the contrary. But, with her new band and her particular brand of mellow, singer-songwriter folk, following such vibrant acts could be daunting. Nonetheless, her talent as both a songwriter and performer shone through during her set.

“Is it the winning grin? I think it’s the winning grin,” Aument commented casually on fans’ opinions of the similarities between her and her new long-haired lead guitarist. However, her backing band — which she jokingly referred to as “Swine Crew” — seemed to be going through the motions for most of the show, perhaps not used to playing together in a live setting. Even so, Aument’s set picked up significantly by the end, and the finale’s triumphant swell of instrumentation showed promise for a band that demonstrated both talent and organization. Though no one danced, despite her encouragement, everyone enjoyed it.

The Northbound Traveling Minstrel Jug Band, however, rivaled Aument to be the best act of the night. With influences spanning folksy Americana in the vein of The Felice Brothers and The Hold Steady, frontman Aaron Gittleman even claimed: “This is hoedown music!” between songs.

Indeed, watching the band blister through Lynrd Skynrd solos and trade off a mandolin, banjo, tambourine and bongo drums made it easy to forget that the four guys had barely broken twenty and had just formed last year. As their set wound down, the same fans who had held an impromptu square dance watched, listened and sang along as the band harmonized the chorus to a song about a seagull by the beach.

The other two acts put on fine shows as well. Bears in America put on a melodious opening act with what they call “hibernation music.” Their concordantly howled vocals and minimalist, ambient instrumentation recalled noted influence Jónsi & Alex.

As the poppier Mouth’s Cradle took the stage, Kevin Hegedus, a.k.a. Mouf, told the crowd, “If you’re lying down, seek medical attention,” encouraging everyone else to stand. Throughout their set, attendees packed around Funk ‘n Waffles’s tiny stage, swaying as B-Linn (Brandon Linn) sampled Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead” while Mouf rapped with a flow to rival most mainstream MCs today.

O, Morning Records have added a group of exceptionally talented artists to their repertoire since first forming in co-founder Dan Creahan’s dorm room last year. Last night’s showcase presented a label in growth — not all pros, but certainly not amateurs. With any luck the label and its bands’ popularity will extend past Syracuse soon.

– Eric Vilas-Boas