NEW MUSIC: Eudora

I have always found new music by listening to it live. Though I do sometimes listen to friend’s suggestions, and I used to hear new music on the radio or MTV, for the most part, new-found interests of mine come from recent shows I have seen. Eudora is no different.

A local Orange County band who did a one-off show with Anarbor and The Lives of Famous Men, Eudora shouldn’t have been anything special. Just a couple of kids, playing badly for a few minutes before the *real* bands showed up. But they were tight, polished, they had their live show down more than most local bands I’ve seen (even some touring bands). They knew how to work with the sound guys, and (for once) the vocals were balanced well with the rest of the band, instead of being overpowered. They may not have gotten the best out of their instruments (one of the guitars in particular was really grating), and they were a little too effect-happy: a new band likes to play with their new toys.

What really struck me about them, however, was their *show*. Not the performance, or the quality of music, but the fun that they were having, and the fun they brought the rest of the crowd into. When one member broke a string, the lead singer had fun with it: he made fun of the guitar player and made some other jokes, and even had the crowd sing happy birthday to one of their friends. In the middle of one of the songs, they broke into Journey (which made even the “cool kids” in the back of the room who were just waiting for the later bands stop and take notice). They had a few sing-alongs (once just some “oooohs,” and later a chorus, though that doesn’t work as well when people don’t know your music). They introduced each band member, and made sure to state the band’s name a bunch of times.

I went back on Monday to listen to their music on their myspace page. I wasn’t blown away, but it wasn’t bad. But the reason why they made such an impression on me was not because of their music. It was because they were having fun, and everyone else in the room was too.

www.myspace.com/eudoramusic
See them:
Feb 4, DiPiazza’s, Long Beach
Feb 15, Chain Reaction, Anaheim