It was upsetting to have missed Dopapod last weekend at CT’s Gathering of the Vibes. What got me through it was knowing that they would be bringing it to my neck of the woods just a few days later. And anyone that knows the music scene in Hartford area…well, you know how often you wish you lived closer to NY or Boston on account of a good mid-week show. On this Thursday evening though, while a massive storm was brewing over a chunk of the east coast, a small storm (if you will) was forming inside of The Arch Street Tavern: Nectar’s Presents Dopapod with Jimkata!
Jimkata was fresh off a late night rager at the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival followed by a few days off and certainly brought with them some harvested energy. I had listened to them a bit online but this was a first in seeing them live. Their pronounced jams had a dramatic electronic based sound that instantly pulled in my attention; starting with a quiet subtle beat building up to the point of release. The sound somewhat reminded me of Passion Pit, but wayyy funkier. Their blend of jam, funk and electro-beats appealed to a variety of people in the room. Each fan was able to pull in what they needed from the music and from the looks of the faces in the room, everyone was fairly satisfied.
As the band was getting ready to give us all one more song, they were reminded that they in fact did not have time for one more. A sense of disappointment lightly coated the room as the fans continued to yell for “one more song!” It was that moment of anguish after the live music stopped; a feeling I think we can all relate to from time to time. Very fortunately for this room, the music was far from over! Dopapod was up next!
A guy turned to me and said: “You know anything about this next band?”
I replied with a smile on my face: “Yeah. A thing or two.”
He says: “…so they can follow an act like that?”
I smile bigger and say, “Oh, you just wait and see for yourself!”
The members of Dopapod took stage to set their instruments straight as “Supermassive Deep Hole” by Muse was playing to the house. Each member took the time to ensure that every piece was set in the right place and that the sound was going to work perfectly for our listening pleasure. At the bar, well-known taper and overall nice guy mkdevo (aka: Dave P) was standing by with his video camera in tow. In the back of the room, Luke Stratton (Dopapod’s lighting and sound guy) was setting the scenes and fine tuning the soundboards. Stage-side was guitar-maker and photographer Kevin Chubbuck getting the right setting on his camera to capture the moments to come. I stood aside and felt blessed to be amongst such pure and young talent…all around. 
It is always a pleasure to see these guys live. And I always report on how much better they get from the last time I have seen them. Nothing about this encounter was any different from the others. Sure, I can sit and go on about how great each artist is musically, but that is easy enough for anyone to look up on YouTube and see for themselves. The part I have enjoyed seeing the most within this Brooklyn-born quad is their growth as a band and their confidence within each other. And surely they have always had confidence in what the other was doing, otherwise they wouldn’t be raging together as they do. But as they grow as a band, so does that level trust. And so does everything else that surrounds them.
Most awesomely, it is great to see that the base of their fans is spreading outward. But that isn’t all. It is always impressive seeing how Luke evolves into their jams by weaving in and out his lights at all the right times. Having the option of purchasing a HeadSpace designed hat pin on their merch table was a pretty awesome thing. The level of energy that fills the room when the boys are on stage doing their thing seeps into not only the fans, but the people working the venue and beyond. And seeing the guy that questioned the likings of this band to me earlier in the evening now dancing his ass off with a huge s***-eating grin on his face? Well that was just priceless! Please enjoy some footage below curtsey of mkdevo. And if you like what you see, download or stream the entire set here: Dopapod 7.26.2012 @ Arch Street Tavern, Hartford CT
And that right there, my friends, is what makes each show of theirs I see better than the last. ROCK ON!
