What do you get when you cross the Birdseed Bandits with Floodwood? You get one electric foot stomping, feel good, jam session. How could this get even better? Hold it at one of the best venues in town, the Mohawk Valley Community College’s (MVCC) IT Auditorium. The space is designed with top notch acoustics, state of the art sound and lighting, and not a bad seat in the house.
The show began with Adam Ludemann, Seth Becker, and Nash Robb, the trio that makes up the Birdseed Bandits, setting the bar high with their unique acoustic sounds with a strong banjo, guitar, percussion, and bass tempo. This sound reverberates into your soul and the unique composition can’t help but make you tap your feet to the beat. They’ve been hailed as Punk/Americana or “Punkicana,” Folk/Rock, Adirondack Folk, “Foot stomping” Folk/Punk-Rock, or Alternative Americana. No matter what genre they are categorized within, they are definitely talented and a feel good band.
Floodwood took the stage immediately after and from the minute they walked out on stage you could feel the love and energy from their fans. While the audience during the opening performance remained in their seats clapping their hands and tapping their toes to the songs, the minute Floodwood took the stage these same fans rushed to the edge of the stage to be right there in front to dance and stomp along. This tale tell sign is a foreshadowing of what is to come for those who have never been part of a band’s shows. I must add how absolutely wonderful this venue is set up to accommodate not only those who wish to be part of the performance by dancing and singing along up front, but those who wish to remain seated during the performance without obstructions. Kudos to the venue as the design truly accommodates their audiences and bands alike.
Floodwood didn’t disappoint as usual. Their full set list of amazing creative sounds entranced the audience and whether fast paced or melancholy, the audience was mesmerized throughout the whole show. But it’s the engagement with the crowd that makes them stand out as top performers. It’s the peek into their personalities that engages the audiences. You can see this clearly. It’s the amazing talent and experience of true greats such as Al and Vinnie that set the bar. It’s the interactions experienced with Nick playing the banjo or fiddle and Jason with his mandolin among the crowd that makes them part of the show. And it’s Zach strumming the base one minute and then the next thing you know he’s down on the carpet doing pushups (which I must add were very impressive). It is this peek into their personalities that only makes their audiences love them more and engages them as their Floodwood family. This is true entertainment. This is what makes them stand out.
As a newly developed fan of Floodwood, I look forward to their upcoming shows this festival season, and want to spread the word to those who may not have seen them previously. Floodwood is a “MUST SEE” show. Check them out their tour schedule; you can thank me later for introducing you to them.
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