Fifth Nation @ Paulies in Pleasantville, NY 12/9/11

   It was at Chris Bro's monthly "All Things NEXT" Charity Concert in Pleasantville, NY (Dec. 9th edition) where I stumbled upon Fifth Nation. I was there on the bill playing drums with the Steven Wright-Mark band, and F.N. happened to be the headlining act. (Check out more of the bands that Chris brings to his concert series- http://allthingsnext.com/ for more on NEXT)

   

   We had done a little homework before the show to see who we were sharing the bill with- (See one of the music videos that Fifth Nation recently put out below this review). Singer/Guitarist, King Julia and Drummer, Musik Read are originally from Austin, TX, now based out of Brooklyn, NY. They're a rock duo in the same vein of The White Stripes, Black Keys, Matt and Kim, or The Ting Tings; but their sound and look stand alone. 

  I thought they had started their set , but it was only a quick sound check when KJ was singing a rhyme into the mic, making it up on the spot. She playfully turned the mic-check into a greeting to the audience and a "let's get this show started" kinda thing that turned everyone's head towards the stage. Her vocal style is rhythmic, mid-register, raspy and technically strong but soulful. Her guitar technique while she's singing stood out to me, using jazzy chords and finger picking most of the time with a "gritty-reverb-ish" tone coming from the guitar amp. The combination of elements in her playing only adds to the originality of the sound. Musik Read's drumming is tasteful and complementary to the music. He plays an un-conventional set-up and style of drums, incorporating broken-up snare pattern hybrids of traditional Latin grooves, Rock and Hip-hop. 

  Right away, you notice something intriguing and unique about this band. Fifth Nation definitely has an appealing presence. The band dons the color white, and the hair is especially big. KJ wears tribal or battle-like lines and shaved hair on the side of her head, surrounded by her long brown and blue locks. Musik's mohawk is huge and would probably take anyone five years to grow, but it demands attention. Their recipe for elements is fresh, and their stage presence is natural, KJ especially demands attention with the combination of her voice, guitar playing, moves and looks. Her conversation with the audience (or "stage banter" if you will) is a message of peace and connection, thanking the audience at one point and calling everyone family. Songs like "Fight a War" and "I'm in Love" suggest that Fifth Nation is about fighting for something; that thing the world can never have too much of. 

  Doing some post-show fact-finding on the band, I found that they've evolved a bit into who they are now since 2009, and have definitely honed in on a sound of their own. They have quite a bit of shows under their belt as well. Talking to drummer Musik after the show, he mentioned that they have played over five hundred shows as a band. And sure enough, checking out their website here (see biography) you'll find a huge list of dates that they've played over the past two years. 

  You can probably catch Fifth Nation in NYC this month or the next, they're constantly playing live. Musik mentioned that sometimes they'll play one or two last minute pick-up shows on a given day, so head towards The LES, The Village, or W.B., Brooklyn and maybe you'll stumble upon this great band, as I did. 

-RTM