Words: Bobby Brunner / Photo credit: John Kelly

What can I say about Oberhofer. Well at first glance Oberhofer is an Indie Rock band straight out of New York, lead by a man none other than artist Brad Oberhofer. Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Brad along with his gang, compose a five piece band, that when are all playing in sync, form a beautiful melodic sound that is entirely unique to what is Oberhofer.

Right from the get-go, minor technical difficulties opened up some moments for some band members to have quick jam sessions, while Brad fumbled with his sound equipment, and his assortment of guitar pedals. I can only imagine that the band would be feeling only a little exhausted having been all over the country in just a matter of weeks. Despite their travels, Oberhofer’s passionate vibe takes over the bands fatigue, and creates an incredible display of musicianship. Brad’s innocent yet humorous demeanor is contagious and soon the whole band is left dancing on stage. Emotions fly from the voice of Brad, harmonies from the three guitarists collide with the bassist, and the ever so intricate drum patterns release only nothing but smiles to people’s faces once “Away Frm U” began. What makes Oberhofer so unique is the tremendous amount of effort that is put into each part that is much harder to listen to on the record “Time Capsules II”, but once the music is being visualized, it’s not too hard to see just how much work goes on behind each song, inside and outside of the performance.

Oberhofer played mostly newer songs, some that have been released as singles, and some that have yet to release but will be on the new record said to be out on October 9th, entitled “Chronovision”. This will be the band’s second full length LP, meaning that most fans at the show were exposed to a completely new array of music being produced by Brad. “Someone Take Me Home” which should be featured on “Chronovision” along with “Memory Remains”, “White Horse, Black River”, and “Sun Halo”. Before the song really kicked off, a good crowd surf, followed by running, and sweeping around venue was a quite compulsive start to the fresh song before Brad returned to stage to finish off Oberhofer’s set. Let us not forget the encore which would land us with “Gold”, a highly anticipated moment for fans of Oberhofer, as they captivated wild emotions of youthful love, and compassion, displayed through the fast paced rhythm and loud ambiance of the bass guitar combined with three guitars, all simultaneously collaborating with roaring drums beats, and clamorous crash cymbals.

Oberhofer was really nothing short of a new experience that I, not so surprisingly found myself wanting to continue for much longer. But unfortunately, they were off to Pittsburgh the next day to please the ears of eager listeners, who are also very excited to witness the eventful performance that is Oberhofer.