By Barry Levites
The members of the jam band Greenline made their return to their former school Friday night as their band joined Old Silver Band in opening up for Soulive in front of a packed crowd at afterHOURS. The show capped off Welcome Week at Northeastern, filling the club to its capacity of 275 people and creating a line down to the loading docks of the Curry Student Center.
But Greenline’s homecoming was overshadowed by the headliner, Soulive, a more mainstream jazz-pop ensemble.
“[Soulive is] one of the best fusion bands out there,” said Pat Schaufelberger, a freshman international relations major at Tufts.
Soulive, which was formed in 1999 by brothers Neil and Alan Evans, is about to embark on tour to promote its fourth album, Break Out, which hits stores Sept. 13.
“It’s fun; we’ve never really played Boston before,” drummer Alan Evans said.
The group is similar to a “big sponge” in music taste, Evans said.
“Our music changes all the time, depending on what we’re listening to on our iPods,” he said.
Friday’s concert included the addition of Rashawn Ross on trumpet, Ryan Zoidis on saxophone and Reggie Watts providing lead vocals.
Old Silver Band opened the show with their folksy, Allman brothers-like sound. Sporting two acoustic guitars and a mandolin, the group performed original pieces like “Mandoline,” a love song about a mandolin.
Greenline followed soon after. The self-described “improv rock” band opened up with a few pieces from their new EP Send Word, which is currently available for download at www.greenline-band.com.
The audience succumbed easily to the smooth sounds of the jam band while the group summoned the ghost of Jerry Garcia for a seven-minute long rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil.”
Kevin Black, Greenline’s singer and guitarist, said it was great to be back at Northeastern, where he, drummer Ryan Callahan and bassist Mike Zartarian attended school for engineering.
“We met when we were freshman,” Callahan said. “I was drawn to his room by his loud stereo and noticed his guitar. I quickly got my drums and – boom – we began jamming.”
Soon after, Zartarian joined the band. In a very “Northeastern” story, the two met when Black interviewed Zartarian as the replacement for his co-op job.
The group now also includes keyboardist Andrew Rubinger, a graduate from UMass-Amherst.
“[Rubinger] had just joined and we had [thrown] a lot of stuff at him,” Black said. “But he took it in stride and carried us along. He brings a lot of songwriting ability to the table.
“Andrew’s going to bring the funk,” Black added jokingly.
For many students in attendance, this was their first time hearing Greenline.
“They have a good sound,” said freshman communication studies major Etta Perdrizet. “I like the mix of [genres].”
High school senior Eli Forrester, who was a guest at the show, said he was impressed with the music of the Northeastern-alum band.
“It’s cool,” Forrester said. “It’s like pop jazz with a reggae feel. I like that.”
The show attracted students from colleges all over the area, including Boston University, Tufts, Berklee College of Music and many high school fans. The club drew about 400 people at start time, many of whom were turned away.
“They’re going to hate me,” manager of afterHOURS Jackie Indrisano said before the show. “I’m going to have to turn some of them away.”
Two students even attempted to bolt into the club and escape apprehension by melting into the crowd. However, they were soon grabbed by NUPD and escorted out.
The show kicks off a season of performances, including Kay Hanley, Steven Kellogg and MC Chris.
“It’s all spiced up,” said Indrisano. “I’m really delighted with how September looks. We represent every taste on campus and we want to look good coming out of the gate.”
The show gave some new students a reason to look forward to the school year – or at least the weekends.
“I liked [the trip down to afterHOURS],” said Ben Hutt, a freshman physics major. “It’s something fun to do.”
