Once again, our state capital has thoughtfully provided us with a little ass-shaking musical joy rather than the usual fist-shaking political anger, this time in the wondrous form of Jahman Brahman.
The jarring Jam quintet from Columbus, active since 2005, has notched some impressive accomplishments, from honing their infinitely appealing Reggae-edged Phish-in-the-Deadiverse sound (which they’ve dubbed Shred ’N’ Flow) to skillfully crafting their debut album, 2010’s NewFields, and their latest five-track EP, 2012’s ...And the Storms That Swarm, to sharing stages and easily holding their own with the likes of Dark Star Orchestra, Jorma Kaukonen and The Werks.
Based out of Asheville, N.C., since 2011, Jahman Brahman balance an incredibly intuitive playing style with a natural affinity for composition and arrangement, resulting in a Jam concoction that is as technically precise as it is loosely improvisational. In addition, Jahman Brahman’s five exceptional members — frontman Justin Brown, guitarist Casey Chanatry, bassist Nate Brown, keyboardist Josh Loffer, drummer Rowdy Keelor — are equally adept at threading together the commonalities of varying genres into their groove-laden style, fashioning a pastiche of Psychedelia, Electronica, Punk, Jazz, Prog, Reggae and Pop into their own inimitable sound. The fivesome claim influences like Sound Tribe Sector 9, Umphrey’s McGee, ekoostic hookah and Warren Haynes, but what they do with those influences is as singular as a fingerprint.
Dance, groove, nod, bliss out; Jahman Brahman has the soundtrack for whatever you’re feeling.
JAHMAN BRAHMAN perform Saturday, March 2 at The Mad Frog in Corryville with guests Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Meiosis. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
