It has been a hell of a year for J. Roddy Walston and The Business. Since their breakout record Essential Tremors arrived in 2013, they’ve amassed a major following, landed a beer commercial and played countless sold out shows. Not to mention an appearance at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival. It’s safe to say, these guys have made a name for themselves and will no doubt continue to do so. Their seemingly never-ending tour recently found them playing to a packed crowd at Stage 48 in New York City on November 7th.
Considering there was a gradual draw to their buzzy set at Newport Folk, it was unbelievable to see the masses flocking to see them on a freezing cold Friday night only a few months later. You could barely move through the room, and there wasn’t a single person there who didn’t know every word to every song. They played nearly every song from Tremors, which at this point, is clearly a favorite album of the last year. The way their fans enthusiastically hang on their every lyric, you would think they were a long beloved rock band (perhaps they are to a few who knew them before). But in fact, Tremors has won them these devotees with its catchy, Southern grit, akin to the Kings of Leon in their earlier days.
They played their set like total pros, and though some of that excitement from their earlier post-Tremors shows was missing, they still got the crowd riled up. Front man Walston was as raspy as ever, swinging his long hair around without inhibition as he banged on the keys ferociously and took swigs from a bottle of beer. Rowdy songs like “Take it As it Comes”, “Midnight Cry”, “Marigold” and “Heavy Bells” kept the crowd singing along. “We’re gonna kick the dick off the place,” Walston said, and ultimately, followed through on that promise.
Somehow, even though the energy in the room was intoxicating, the near constant singing along gave all the songs a certain sameness that doesn’t occur on the actual record. After a while of hearing people chant “aaah”s in various tunes, a kind of monotony takes over, and JRWATB’s unique sound gets a bit lost. However, it’s probably a major thrill from the band’s perspective, hearing hundreds of people who know every word. After a while, Walston employed a call and response device, and you wondered if it was the result of the fans showing their appreciation of the songs, and if it’s still a little mind-blowing for Walston and his band mates to see just how obsessed their fans really are.
Even if you’re a Walston fan and experiencing Tremors fatigue (particularly thanks to that beer commercial—though in all earnestness, good for them), you can still admire the way they’ve relished their success and how incredible they are as performers. (And I’d be lying if I said the show didn’t make me crave an ice, cold silver bullet—so, well done, Coors Light). These guys, especially Walston, can seriously work a crowd. Walston, it seems was simply meant to be a rock star. It’s exciting how much one record has built this band up in just one short year, and even more exciting to see how they’ll keep growing, and hopefully, staying true to themselves.
