Who would have thought that the winner of Loyola's spring 2009 Battle of the Bands would go on to perform at the same venue as Jay-Z, Nas and Mos Def? Certainly not the energetic members of local hip-hop/reggae group A Cool Stick, but they could not be happier about it.
"I won't be celebrating Christmas this year," Luke O'Brien, vocals, said during their hour-long set at Rams Head at the Power Plant Thursday night. This is Christmas for me."
After performances from three other bands, Homegrown, Lowercase Blues and Dangerman, A Cool Stick rocked the house.
"They sound so good. This is my favorite song of theirs!" said loyal fan , Annie Pederson, during their opener, "Turn Me Up."
Thursday night was a double celebration for A Cool Stick: playing at their biggest venue yet and finally releasing their long-awaited first CD. O'Brien, John Fitch, James Hughes, Brian Aranda and Brendan "Fuzz" Floyd have been working hard in a Druid Hill recording studio for months. But capturing the unique sound of A Cool Stick onto a CD was no easy task.
"To me the most difficult part of recording was being patient as we worked," said Fitch, vocals and keys. "We were very meticulous with each stage, from tracking to mastering, and sometimes it seemed that we would never be able to step back and enjoy the songs as a whole."
Well, they definitely enjoyed their songs on the Rams Head stage where they looked right at home. They played an hour-long set, including personal favorite "Purple Haze", during which Hughes does a mean Jimi Hendrix, as well as crowd favorite, and the song that started it all, "I Love Knowledge."
A Cool Stick has recently played at several other popular Baltimore venues, such as the 13th Floor at the Belvedere on East Chase Street, the 8 X 10 in Federal Hill, Joe Squared on North Avenue, and several times at Loyola, including last year's Loyolapalooza. But this was by far the most exciting opportunity yet. Representatives of Rams Head actually contacted the band about doing the show, according to drummer Brian Aranda.
"They were trying to get more local, up-and-coming acts to the venue, and the timing worked out to be at the same as when we were finishing our album," Aranda said. "So we decided to make it our CD release party."
It doesn't come as a shock to A Cool Stick fans that they are now reaching new levels of fame.
"I'm really not surprised that they're getting bigger now," Whitney Lunt, '10, said. "They have a unique style and sound that I think really has a place right now."
Mallory DiLemmo, '10, has followed the band since they started, attending shows at Loyola and around Baltimore. "They have such an amazing stage presence, and each one of them brings something different to the stage," she said. "John has so much energy, he's constantly jumping around. Luke connects so well with the crowd, everyone feels like they're his best friend, and "Fuzz" is probably one of the most talented people I've ever seen perform. He can do it all!"
Michael Montrose, '10, agrees. "They have such a stage presence and bring their lyrics to life with their passion and interaction with the crowd," he said.
Their connection with the crowd at Rams Head was strong, to say the least. The boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves, evident by their jumping, dancing and even moon-walking around the stage throughout the entire performance. Everyone in the crowd danced and sang along to most of the songs, especially the last song of the set, "All Day Long."
Next up for A Cool Stick is the Recher Theatre in Towson on November 22, and they are working towards more performances outside of Maryland.
"The most important thing about going out of state is a quality product," Hughes said. "Now that our EP is done, we have a great work of music to send to other schools and venues on the East Coast and potentially the rest of the country, and we can start playing as many shows as possible."
In addition the show at Recher Theatre, A Cool Stick looks forward to more performances on campus.
"We love coming back and playing a show on our home turf," Fitch said, "because that's where we formed."
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