The Best Part of the Rainbow is the Illusion

You never realize in how many ways your worlds can collide.  As the magic of an Aqueous Wizard of Oz Halloween unfolded before my eyes, it felt like the show was being played just for me.  It may seem a little far-fetched and even here, putting proverbial pen to paper, I still can’t wrap my head around how many amazing musical dots were connected. This is my trip over the rainbow.  

Back in July, I went to see the John Butler trio at Artpark.  They were the opener for O.A.R. We cut out shortly after the JBT set ended.  I had caught wind that Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss from Aqueous were playing an acoustic set at Buffalo Iron Works.  Wanting to keep the music going, a few friends and I headed downtown to watch the duo play.  During that set, the boys covered a tune from Dark Side of the Moon. 

I’ve never been an uber Pink Floyd fan, but my connection to Dark Side is a strong one.  I’m a huge Wizard of Oz fan.  Maybe it’s the fact that I share a birthday with Judy Garland. Maybe it’s the fact that as a Gemini, I find truth in the films seminal question, “Are you a Good witch or a Bad witch?”  No matter what the reason, it’s a film I simply cannot escape. In college, I spent many a weeknight piled in my dorm room with friends, pressing play on my CD player just as the MGM lion began his third roar on the intro to Wizard of Oz. I’ll never understand how Dark Side and The Wizard of Oz meshed so well together, but that’s the beauty of it.  I don’t need to know if it was done of purpose, because it just works. Knowing would simply ruin the illusion.

So on this fateful night at Buffalo Iron Works, after they had played a tune from Dark Side, I trapped Dave Loss in a conversation (as I always seem to do). And I waxed poetic for a few minutes about how my ultimate Aqueous fantasy went something like this: The band’s four members dressed as the characters of the Wizard of Oz playing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety, with the film playing on a large screen in the background. 

Now, I am not naïve enough to think that they had never had some sort of thought of playing the album in its entirety.  But Dave simply nodded his head in approval and said something to the effect of, “Yeah that would be a great time.”  After the band announced their Halloween theme, I tried on a few occasions, to find out if that conversation had somehow sparked the idea conceptually. At Night Lights and Catskill Chill I was able to trap Dave Loss in conversation (as I always seem to do).  Each time, Dave would just shrug his shoulders, smile and Miss America me with an answer like “Where do ideas really come from?” And I’m so glad that he did. 

Maybe I was simply one of many people that could hear what Aqueous was capable of.  Pulling off a task like playing the Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety is a feat that few bands could achieve from a technical standpoint.  Even in today’s studio world of digital multitasking and looping, musicians don’t record music as technical yet successful as Pink Floyd did back in those Abbey Road Studios. And maybe my Halloween dream just added to the conversation.  If their fans have the faith that they can accomplish something so complex, why wouldn’t they tackle such a lofty musical challenge with flawless resolve?

It was one of those moments when you want something so badly, but you don’t want to get your hopes up.  As they started the first set of the evening, a twisted mash-up of the “MGM Wizard of Oz” theme and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” I waited with baited breathe.  As the melded into one of my favorite songs, “Kitty Chaser (Explosions in the Sky)” my heart sank a little.  Okay, maybe that’s what the second set was for. I lost myself in the dark and slightly twisted sound of the first set. 

As I waited for the second set to begin, I could overhear the rumor mill.  The room was buzzing.  It wasn’t just me that wanted Dark Side. It wasn’t just me that got the connection.  I noticed the very talented Sarah Jane present in the room, too.  When Pink Talking Fish come to town, she usually joins them on stage for “Great Gig in the Sky”. So as the sounds of heartbeats and cash registers ushered in “Speak to Me”, my knees buckled.  They were going to do it. 

As they transitioned song to song, hitting every note in prefect timing, the excitement in the room continued to grow.  Aqueous fans that knew how big this was, that realized what an accomplishment this was, beamed with pride.  There are a lot of bands out there that are up and coming in the jam scene.  But I ask you to find one that has the technical skill that Aqueous does. 

What I love the most about the Aqueous family is that it represents Buffalo in the best possible way.  I’ve only lived in Buffalo a little over four years, but it’s always felt like home.  There’s no snobbery from the Aqueous fans that have watched the “boys” grow into the successful band they have become. They love to tell stories about the days when they saw them play to a room of 10 people, but equally love that they are gaining so much well deserved success.  So many fans bases have a hard time with welcoming new fans to the party.  That’s simply not the case with the Aqueous family. They more the merrier. After all, the bigger the party, the bigger the fun, right?

As I watch this band grow and get to know the people that love them just as much as I do (musically that is), I am struck by something sweet.  Secretly, as much as we love seeing them in our hometown in a tiny little space, we also long for the day when their music is presented in the way it is meant to be heard- at late night time slot at a festival with a killer light show and thousands of people fighting for the rail or in an arena that seats thousands. 

Almost everyone that was at Saturday night’s show realizes that we were part of something special.  We were part of a moment that very well could be one of the things that really kicks this band on the jam scenes map. In the years to come, as the band grows, we will be able to recall this particular Halloween that many people will secretly wish they had been a part of.  And anytime we hear 

Aqueous play something from Dark Side, we will be instantly transported back in time to that show. And no matter how many people start to listen to Aqueous or show up at shows, no amount of new fans will ever take away those experiences.   

For anyone that has never seen Aqueous live, I highly suggest that you get on it. If you’ve ever wanted to be in a crowd full of people trying to see who can have the most fun, they are the band to see.  They are the soundtrack to a well-deserved party. 

Aqueous proved a few things to me this weekend.  Watching guitarist Mike Gantzer dressed perfectly as the scarecrow while melting faces proves you can be silly and strange and still make beautiful music. Watching bassist Evan McPhaden lay down sick grooves despite being in a blue gingham dress with red bows falling from his hair proves that these four musicians are not just making music for themselves but for their fans.  They are willing to sacrifice their “seriousness” for the musical experience. Drummer Tom Vayo is a recent addition to the Aqueous line-up. His style behind the kit has elevated the Aqueous sound; I didn’t think they could be any tighter and more on point then they were, but it’s happened. 

And the simple fact that Dave Loss never spilled the beans, well whether he knows it or not, that was the most magical part of it all.  Because in my mind I was allowed to think it was all for me; that it was all my idea.  And by the end of the night, I realized something better.  In the end, it doesn’t matter where an idea comes from, it’s about being a part of it.  And in the end, knowing would simply ruin the illusion.

I’ve never felt more welcomed into a band’s scene as I have into the Aqueous fan base.  It’s wonderful to meet fellow women who get that sometimes, you just want to rock out.  It’s thrilling to meet people that want to talk about the music.  I’ve spent my whole life looking for people that wouldn't want to stuff a sock in my mouth the minute I started talking about my favorite bands.  

At the end of the night, Mike thanked the crowd.  You could see the pride; that he truly felt humbled and supported.  As he closed out his words, he noted that they were hitting the road again and that he hoped they could “continue to make Buffalo proud”.  Trust me boys, you already have.  

This past weekend, four stunning musicians played me rainbows. Literally, if someone asked me what rainbows sound like, I'll say Aqueous - Halloween 2015. And then magically, when leaving the venue, the air was filled with the smell of honey nut rainbows. I'm not quite sure how they pulled that detail off, but kudos!

Seriously, all silliness and rainbows aside... The amount of dedication and hard work that went into doing what the Aqueous team this weekend is astounding!Those of us that were blessed enough to be a part of that moment realize how special it was. Thanks for playing me rainbows boys! It's every little girls fantasy! And it’s humbling to watch a band that even as the gain success truly remembers that there is no place like home.