The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Courtesy of Stephen Nuss

When I first heard that the Pnuma Trio was coming to Colby, I didn't know what to think. I hadn't heard their material, but knew they fit into that gargantuan mass of jam culture-one I had never been an avid fan of. Working the show for the Concert and Live Music Committee, I figured I might as well go in with an open mind, seeing as I was going to be there all night.

What I got was more than a pleasant surprise, although perhaps I should have expected it when CLM chair Ben Green had asked us to remind our friends that the band "strongly encouraged videotaping and flash photography." Upon loading the band in, I was instantly struck by their attitudes. They were ecstatic with the amount of food we provided for them, and told us how happy they were to be up in Maine. I had an interesting conversation with Alex Botwin on the way to Rite Aid (they needed batteries) about music and touring. Without even hearing any of my music, he put his number in my phone and told me to call him about playing some shows together.

This attitude projected nicely in front of a brave crowd on a frigid night. Botwin opened the concert by spinning a few laid back beats, and was soon joined by his two bandmates, keyboardist Ben Hazelgrove and drummer Lane Shaw. The band engaged the crowd in high energy, electronic breakbeats laced with touches of grime and improvisation. Botwin's subtle bass meshed nicely with Shaw's infallible drumming, and was topped off by Hazelgrove's synthetic onslaughts. As the crowd grew, so did the energy, and not even halfway through their two hour set, the entire room was dancing.

I recognize that being on CLM makes me biased, and while the room was far from empty, it was simply a shame that more Colby students didn't go the show. I base this not only on my experience, but also the fact that my friends who went to the show told me they enjoyed it even more than Lupe Fiasco. I suppose that in a few years people who missed the show will at least be able to say that the Pnuma Trio did indeed play at their school, even if they were just in their rooms drinking at the time.

In any case, Colby was lucky to have the band stop by when it did. They're now in Colorado and about to drop a new album (which Botwin almost lost at the Bangor airport), and seems to only be going up. The band is a playing a plethora of music festivals this summer, getting more national attention, and continuing to work on their sound. So if I may pat my own committee on the back, consider it patted-the Pnuma Trio is one group I'll be keeping my eye out for in the future.

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