Written by Shelbi Armstrong
This past weekend, I got the chance to see Crumb at the Satellite Bar. This show came after the rain & flooding in Houston that was reminiscent of Hurricane Harvey; earlier, the venue crew had to literally mop floodwaters out of their space in order to prepare for the show. I Understandably, there was a delay before doors opened. As I watched the sun set in pastels that appeared inspired by the soft aesthetics of the band’s EPs. From the line outside the space, we heard Crumb and the openers’ sound checks; vocalist Lila Ramani’s voice lilting “check check check check check….” to the tune of Locket.
Soon after doors opened, Shormey of Chesapeake, VA played the first set of the night. Evidently a fan of Crumb herself as she chose a Crumb longsleeve to wear to her show, Shormey came prepared with a dreamy yet danceable set of lo-fi R&B grooves. As the set went on, she got more and more comfortable and lit up the stage with a bright smile & fun dance moves. Word from the crowd to sum up her set: “she’s so cute!”
Following Shormey was Divino Niño, a four-member indie rock band from Chicago. Their sound has been described as psychedelic, in a similar vein to Crumb; but unique in the way that they intricately blend 60’s psychedelia with Latin American influences & bilingual lyrics and much more. Their set was punctuated by vocalist Camilo Medina’s fun personality & eccentric antics during their set.
Crumb’s music, for me, is best for early mornings and late nights, but their soothing psych rock with jazzy touches is perfect in any moment. When they finally came out to play out in the backyard area of the venue, the main lights shut off with just a shadowy grey to light the stage; and the audience was almost entranced as the initial chords of “Cracking” began. The opening track set a precedent for intimacy, introspection and personal engagement with the music, which was evident in both the artists and the audience. The simple stage setup, with just the lighting and occasional projections behind the band, lent to the focus on the music and the experience.
But there was no sense of disconnect or pretentiousness between the band and the audience; the band took breaks between songs to check in, ask how everyone was doing after the earlier torrential rain & flooding and even made sure they got a selfie with the crowd. Throughout the set, a lone Whataburger cup occupied center stage as evidence that Crumb had taken part in the local Houston cuisine.
If I were to name my favorite moment during the show, it would be this: while for most of Crumb’s set he coolly hung back behind his keyboard, keyboardist and saxophonist Brian Aronow came to the front on two separate occasions to play a fantastic saxophone solo, and I had the fortune of being directly in the front both times it happened.
Crumb seemed to be able to bend time; the set seemed longer than it was, as it was so immersive, but you wanted it to go on forever. After Crumb left the stage, the crowd chanted for an encore. The band obliged and finished with a final farewell before heading out to greet fans. Seeing Crumb live was a great experience and totally worth every moment.
