By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
On Friday in the back of a neighborhood lined with brick houses, with a fading sun and warmly lit patio, five bands awaited eagerly to perform in the “Show for a Cause.” People began to find their spots around 6 p.m. that night and by 7 p.m. the music had begun.
Chloe Choudhury, lead singer of local band Sunnn, said that homeowner and musician Ryan Thomas asked her to help plan a house show in a temporarily vacant home.
“Ryan reached out to me, and he was like, ‘Hey, Chloe, I have a house that has a little bit of vacancy in between tenants, and I kind of want to put on a show,’ and I was like, ‘You came to the right person, I’ll set it up,'” she said.
When Choudhury was brainstorming a theme and lineup for the show, she was looking at significant dates around the beginning of September and found that Sept. 6 was National Food Bank Day. Choudhury then pitched the idea of creating a “show for a cause” to Thomas, and they decided that attendees would be able to bring cans to donate to the show in exchange for a discounted ticket.
“Not only do we have a house show, but we are doing it for a good cause,” Thomas said. “I’m always about that with anything I do. I want to try to pay something forward when I do it.”
By the end of the night, over 70 cans were donated during the show to give to Caritas of Waco, according to an Instagram post by Sunnn.
NateJoy, an indie pop singer native to Waco, was first to appear. People began to pour in the fenced backyard as he started his set off with an enthusiastic pop song.
The crowd cheered throughout the set as NateJoy transitioned from one song to the other, occasionally leaving space in between for dialogue and serenading the audience with an array of indie pop and alternative songs.
Local trio Smooth Nature, comprised of lead vocals, saxophone and guitar, followed NateJoy. The group blended an array of jazz and R&B in an intimate performance with lyrics revolving around heartbreak, love and finding truth in life.
Their set opened with a laid-back song with complex saxophone that set the passionate tone for the rest of the trio’s performance. After the group played a song about heartbreak, the lead singer jokingly reassured, “Don’t worry, we are all happy and in love now.”
The trio shortly moved on to playing the next song in their set, which included a soulful guitar intro, and eventually moved into a saxophone solo. The vocals melted into the rest of the arrangement, creating an emotional melody.
The second to last song, Smooth Nature played was “Sugar and Spice,” dedicated to the lead vocalist’s partner. The song lyrics revolved around commitment and love for one another, showcasing vulnerability.
Next, singer-songwriter TreyL took the stage with his entourage, which included keys, guitar, drums and saxophone. He opened with an upbeat folk song and warm synth-like keys that featured passionate lyrics.
By the third song, TreyL transitioned into an upbeat song with a bouncing, funky groove and ear-catching chorus. Midway through their set, the saxophonist demonstrated a trick called “multiphonics,” which TreyL explained is a technique where an instrument produces multiple notes at once.
The next song played was a danceable indie pop beat with the multiphonic saxophone within the verses and a melodic breakdown in the chorus. Halfway through the set, the saxophonist reached a vibrant solo and walked into the crowd, shuffling from one person to another.
The group finished with a high energy indie song, gave their thanks, and welcomed the next band.
Hanover, an Austin-based group, opened with a mid-tempo indie song. The lead singer, who also played lead guitar, was accompanied by the bass and rhythm guitarists, who sang backup vocals, and the drummer.
The second song was full of driving bass, and when it ended, the band announced that their last two songs were from their new EP titled “As Long As We’re Here.” The band then transitioned into playing a song called “Arboretum,” which they noted was one of their first releases.
“Arboretum” combined chill guitar with catchy indie pop vocals, enthralling the crowd with its set and stage presence. By the middle of the set, the lead singer invited the crowd to come forward, closer to the porch they were playing from.
Fast-forward to the middle chorus of their next song, and everyone in the audience was dancing and tightly gathered in awe of the band.
Shortly after, Thomas stopped the set to make an announcement on the stage.
“The police have been called because of a noise complaint, so we have to turn down the volume on everything,” he said.
The crowd murmured in disappointment. Hanover was forced to abandon their last two songs, but Sunnn, the intended last band, began brainstorming a plan to still play their songs without continuing the disturbance.
The band decided to continue with their set but shifted to acoustic renditions of their songs to keep the volume down.
The first two songs the group played had memorable guitars and a catchy vocal line. The third song they played was a cover of “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski, which they followed up with more acoustic originals.
Before the last song, the band also played a stripped-down cover of “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. They closed their set with a high-energy original, which broke into a gigantic “Pink Floyd”-like guitar solo midway through.
The crowd cheered as the guitarist started playing notes faster and faster until the song finally ended and Sunnn thanked homeowner Ryan Thomas and everyone for attending the show.
