On Friday the 28th of February, I went down to The Coffee Bar to see Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits, and Summer Rental play. It was a really low key show on the square in San Marcos, Tx. I heard about this show from somebody in my FDOM class over twitter. She tweeted me under one of my tweets and recommended I go see them. I had heard of Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits before, but I’d never heard of Summer Rental. At first I couldn’t find anybody to go with me, everybody seemed to be busy; but then I remembered a girl I met my first semester at Texas State while listening to Christian Sparks and the Beatnik Bandits. So I reached out to her to see if she wanted to go with me, and luckily she did!
The Coffee Bar was pretty small, so once the music started playing everybody was a little squished. Thats how you know the music is good, everybody is so lost in it they don’t realize the person beside them has been bumping into them for an hour straight. Plus the cover fee was only $5; which is great for a college student. trying to justify everything they spend money on.
First up to the gallows was Summer Rental, and let’s just say they will go on to live another day. The crowd loved them, I loved them, they had a really great genuine energy to them. Being in a small venue really worked to their advantage, everything felt more intimate and in sync with the crowd. Their music is pretty similar to Wallows. They are also a local San Marcos band; all the members go to Texas State except for Ben. I actually got the chance to talk to Sean (Sean the keyboard player, apparently there are two Seans.) and Ben, they were really nice and super down to earth guys. Overall I really enjoyed the experience of getting to hear them play and recommend going to see them if you have the chance.
Then came the main act, aka Christian Sparks and the BeatNik Bandits. When I listened to them play, it felt like summer; the windows rolled down and the sun shinning down on you without a worry in the world. Their music has the capability to make you feel warm and nostalgic, and that is a great quality to have. I found them very similar to artists like The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. It’s a very indy folk kinda sound. They had such a great stage presence, and the whole crowd just felt alive; you could almost feel the hum in the air. I especially remembered when they covered one of my favorite songs by Houndmouth called Sedona; I was so indescribably happy, ecstatic even. Overall they had a stellar performance and it’s always such a treat to get to see them play, definitely go see them if you ever get the chance.
Songs Are Us 