Evan Taubenfeld @ The Roxy Oct 15th

Just stepping foot in the Roxy Theater made me wonder what it must have been like in the Golden Years of Sunset Strip. I tried to envision the crowd in “vintage” garb, everyone smoking cigarettes inside the club. I wondered what the attendance for a show like the one I was about to witness would have been like, what bands might have been playing or even what no-name musicians were hiding out that would eventually join the echelon of rock gods. One thing is for sure; it would have been on the cutting edge of a sweeping and powerful trend. Evan Taubenfeld is the model for a similar yet very modern likeness today.

I was sitting comfortably, waiting for his set to begin when my daydream was sharply interrupted. I looked to the stage to see Evan standing alone, guitar in hand, talking and looking somewhat flustered. Not sure exactly what was happening, I scurried down to the main floor to sniff out the commotion. From what I gathered, Evan was finishing up his sound check and someone prematurely pulled the curtains up leaving him unprepared to an eager audience! Now this may have spelled disaster for a lesser performer, but to my surprise, this minor malfunction was actually working to his advantage. He confidently explained the situation to the perplexed crowd and then playfully asked the audience to pretend that he had just finished his last song of the night. He went on to ask that when he returned to the stage, that everyone would further pretend as if it were the encore! Genius! At that moment he unwittingly captured his audience before even a single note was played.

This manner of improvisational banter continued throughout his set. At one break between songs he answered his cell phone, asked if he could call back, and then carelessly handed it off to a young fan in the front row! Evan’s charisma and energy radiated from the stage as he bounded from one far corner to the next, and the crowd enthusiastically responded to songs like Boy Meets Girl and Cheater of the Year. He even convinced the crowd to scream the words “pumpkin pie.” It was obvious that he had a great amount of experience as a performer and entertainer.

His backing musicians were no slouches either. He had an extremely solid drummer that played every hit with certainty, and a groovy five string bassist that, to my adoration, actually played with his fingers! Also, Evan’s younger brother, Drew, filled in the second guitar parts with fantastic precision. But sonic cohesiveness was not the only notable part of his band. Although Evan was front and center and garnished most of the attention, the other members were just plain fun to watch. They seemed joyous at taking the back seat, jamming along and smiling at each other. Drew seemed down right blissful and I hardly ever noticed him without a beaming smile. In my opinion, the band was the landscape in the “good times” vibe Evan had instituted.

After the show I was waiting outside to leave and Evan walked by. I commended him on the night and he was gracious but seemed preoccupied with the marquee. He lightheartedly badgered a Roxy employee who was removing his name from the signboard. It was refreshing to see such an established musician who is equally as charming and enjoyable on stage as off.