Timbre Coup and Formula 5 at Red Square October 27

It was the weekend before Halloween and Red Square was decked with decorations galore.  The bar was hosting two of Albany’s favorite young up and coming bands for the Halloween celebration – Timbre Coup and Formula 5. Formula 5 got the party started with their signature Phish style jams. All dressed in white lab coats, it was obvious throughout the show they were having fun on stage playing off each other in and out of every song. The talent is certainly beyond their years. Their 20 year old guitarist, Joe Davis, tore it apart all night with tight guitar riffs and tons of enthusiasm. It is refreshing to see some young new talent on the jam scene in Albany and Formula 5 always brings out a pretty vibrant crowd. The last song I heard before stepping outside was an interesting rendition of the “Ghost Busters” theme song. Certainly not the tightest song they played all night, but still a humorous choice to play for their costumed crowd.

After a short break Timbre Coup took stage dressed as elderly men. It was seriously entertaining to see four men taking their music so seriously while dressed in such ridiculous costumes. Timbre Coup is always a pleasure to see live and their crowd never leaves disappointed. Their band is made up of Andrew Chamberlain on the guitar, Matt Pickering on the drums, and Dan Gerken and Ben Pickering trading off duties on the guitar and bass. While their music is often referred to as improvisational progressive rock, each song individualizes itself into its own category. While their dance-worthy bass lines keep the crowd moving, some songs stray away into heavy head banging guitar riffs that bring the energy in the room up another caliber. It seems every Timbre Coup show I see each band member grows individually as a musician and together as a band. One thing is for sure, they never disappoint. Their crowd always stays moving, and always leaves happy.

Midway through their set a drummer took stage to pull up members of the crowd for an impromptu costume contest. Seeing 12 people squeezed onto the small stage all dressed in their Halloween finest was certainly a sight to see. The winner was a man dressed head to toe in gold spandex donning a Beauty and the Beast Lumiere candle-stick hat and light up candle hands. Truly the most creative Halloween costume I’ve seen in years. Overall the show was great, the Halloween Vibe was spot on and the energy was non-stop. As always, these bands did not disappoint.

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