The Northern Drift

When I first hear the term "jam band" mentioned in connection with a show I am about to see, I have to admit that I tense up a little. Panicked thoughts of marching psychedelic teddy bears, never-ending aimless solos and songs that stretch on for 20 minutes at a time dance through my head, and I feel a little dizzy. It's not that I don't like grooving to a stretched out jam -- some of my favorite concert moments are when the musicians let loose and unravel into a little unbridled chaos -- but when a band lets the chaos reign supreme over any hint of musical control or direction, it usually leaves me bored and searching for the door.

So I was a little nervous to check out local band the Northern Drift, whose list of influences include The Grateful Dead, Phish and String Cheese Incident (all talented, successful bands, but ones that can be difficult to channel without losing focus); but I had enjoyed the songs I heard on their MySpace and I decided to give it a go.

I arrived at the Cabooze a little too early and took a seat at one of the tables on the back wall, which gave me a good view of both the stage and the crowd. As people streamed in, it seemed that everybody knew everybody else in the bar, and there was a definite feeling that I was crashing someone else's high school reunion. Most patrons were in their early twenties and ran around the bar hugging their fellow flower child friends and swigging from giant 24-ounce bottles of Beck's (which were ridiculously tasty and affordable, I might add), and it was a nice change of pace to be among a crowd of people so welcoming and down to earth; gone were the pretentious too-cool glares and psuedo-punk sheens that I normally encounter during a night out at a club. Regardless of how well the band sounded, this was going to be a fun night.

When the Northern Drift took the stage I looked around to find a surprisingly crowded room -- this was the Drift's first show at a bigger club and the boys expressed gratitude for the coveted slot they had landed opening for Cabooze regulars God Johnson. When the first chord rang out, the whole room seemed to sigh with relief, and the crowd collectively shed their work-a-day woes in favor of the dance floor in front of the stage and the warm glow of the colorful stage lights. The Northern Drift were surprisingly accessible and structured; lead singer Mark Stanaszek sang thoughtful lyrics about loving life (and girls), and the band moved together through syncopated rhythms and catchy guitar hooks. What was most captivating, though, was that the Drift appears to have crafted their very own sound. Sure, there were remnants of a lot of great '70s rock acts -- The Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix and even the Dead all showed up in spirit at one point or another -- but the ideas behind the songs felt authentic and original.

The Drift took their audience on a ride through danceable, upbeat funk numbers that featured lively and complex solos from Stanaszek's brother Matt, and then brought the mood down low with a soft-sung ballad that had keyboardist J Johnson showing off his soloing skills. Bass player Kyle Bergstrom and drummer Marc Cohen held down a tight rhythm section, driving the band through a variety of tempo changes with ease. The night climaxed with a great medley of covers that included Clapton's "Cocaine" and a teasing intro to "Eye of the Tiger," and the boys brought it all home with one last rocking original tune. It's clear that this is a band that has logged plenty of practice hours refining their style and getting comfortable playing together and, judging by their energetic following of fans and solid set, it's high time that they start playing the bigger stages around town.

Photos: Kyle Bergstrom and Mark Stanaszek; Matt Stanaszek by David Seifert. - How was the show?