Zagnutt

Zagnutt:
Live at Harper's Ferry, Boston, MA
July 30, 2001
As Zagnutt completes its inaugural season as a band, the group is gradually racking up a list of impressive performance credits. With a Boston debut at Scullers last May, Zagnutt is off to a stellar start on the local music scene. Their July 30th Harper's Ferry debut, which featured a two-set solid mix of originals and covers, provided a unique glimpse of a band that has some exciting things to offer and knows how to put on a good show. With Dave Whitston on vocals, guitarists Erik White and Nat Greenspan, Mike Farrington on bass, Gary Vitagliano on drums, and percussionist Darin McLean, one of Zagnutt's strengths lies in the obvious rapport that the band members enjoy with one another. These guys have some serious fun while performing together, and they successfully convey their enjoyment of the music to their audience. Zagnutt opened its first set with Mexagovia, an original tune with a catchy Latin beat. The energetic Shadow Dogs, the first single off of Zagnutt's debut album, includes two of the bands hallmarks: a driving, infectious beat and some outstanding guitar work by White. Gone and Biggie Smalls, two original numbers, demonstrate the influence of the blues on Zagnutt and prove that even in the slower songs (in the case of Gone), the band is capable of achieving high energy. Zagnutt closed the first set with Speedbone, a hard rock number that includes a somewhat maniacal vocal introduction which segues into what can best be described as dueling guitars. White and Greenspan are more than capable of meeting the guitar challenges that they seem to levy at one another all in the name of good, fun music. The second set continued to showcase the guitarists, and White's work was particularly notable. Whether playing electric or acoustic guitar, White is a joy to watch and even more of a joy to hear. As the set drew to a close, Whitston provided the audience with a most entertaining Elvis Presley impression during Zagnutt's cover of Suspicious Minds, a slightly more rocked-up version than the original. A disappointing aspect of the performance lay in Zagnutt's vocals, which often were difficult to understand. Whether this was the fault of the singer or the sound engineer could not be determined, and while it was frustrating to not catch all of the words, in the long run the performance was not inhibited by this fact. Zagnutt's strong melodies and talented instrumentalists more than compensated for less-than-perfect articulation.
- Katie DeBonville