IKE
Jealousy Curve, The Caulfields, Derek and Jamie of Omnisoul
Philadelphia, PA • December 28, 2006
Brittany Sturges
I made my way to the World Cafe Live for a show that I had been anticipating for the last two months. Local bands IKE and Jealousy Curve were teraming up for yet another show. The last one didn’t disappoint. However, this one would feature a reunion of the Caulfields. I had heard some great things about the band and was itching to hear what they sounded like live.
The show kicked off at 7:30 with two members of the Delaware-based band Omnisoul playing an acoustic set. Armed with a guitar and keyboard, Derek and Jamie went through several of the band’s songs, giving the audience a taste of something different. They ended with their two most known songs, “Waiting (Save Your Life)” which was featured on the Fantastic Four soundtrack, and “Not Giving Up,” which was featured on the latest edition of Madden. “Not Giving Up,” which is usually an upbeat ‘get out of ur seat and on your feet’ kind of song was completely mellow, dare I say chilling.
Next up was Jealousy Curve, who decided to speed up the show, opting to play a lot of their faster, heavier tracks, including “Don’t Lie Down,” which is featured on the upcoming Tourgasm soundtrack. The performance was fast-paced with frontman Mike Leavy pacing the stage. Drummer Shane Rozum gave yet another great performance, pounding away on the drums. Known for pouring water on the cymbals and then hitting them, his performance is somewhat mind-blowing every time.
Jealousy Curve finished their set in a half-hour, getting the crowd wired for headliners IKE. A powerpop rock band, IKE is another must-see band. They opened with “In Real Life,” which is the opening track of their last CD– and a song I wouldn’t have expected them to open with. It was followed by several of their other hits and fans were bursting with delight (especially considering there was a good amount of younger fans there for this all-ages show). Then came time to play the song, “Cinderella Spark.” Everything seemed to be perfect and I was thinking that this might be the first show I attended that did not have a technical problem. But alas! Midway during the song, a piercing buzz came from lead singer John Faye’s guitar, overpowering the other instruments. Faye quickly kneeled, fiddling with his equipment, as a tech came rushing to help. As soon as they thought things were fine, the buzz started again. By this time, Faye seemed desperate, attempting once again to soothe the equipment as the fans kept the song lyrics going. After a minute, Faye decided to ditch the guitar, opting to grab the mic and finish the song. Fans, instead of booing or such, seemed to gain momentum and energy as each chord of the song was played.
During the next song, attempt #3 with the guitar was taken and again, problems. Lead guitarist, Cliff Hillis, handed his guitar to Faye, allowing him to sing the next song, as he tried to help with the guitar problem. The bassist, Joanne (who might be my favorite female musician) had disappeared offstage during the song. Turns out, the amp blew. Jealousy Curve stepped in, lending IKE their amp.
The show played on, as IKE played “Into Philadelphia,” which is actually a song that Faye wrote for his son as a lullaby. The song got one of the best, if not the best, reaction from the crowd and was amazing to be a part of. They finished their set, which was the last one for Hillis before he departed from the band.
Next up was a special event– a reunion performance from Faye’s old band, The Caulfields. The band played a total of eight songs, as their fans (who all seemed to be a bit of the older generation compared to the IKE fans) sang along.
The show ended with members of the various bands joining on stage for a special performance of “The Streets Have No Name,” by U2. They threw in a bit of a song from the WHO– I can never remember their song titles– and then decided to go back to U2.
As I raced to the EL, with less than 15 minutes to make the last train or be stranded– I found myself humming the tunes. There’s nothing like some local bands playing some great music for the people who appreciate it the most. It was quite the holiday gift.
