Can I let you in on a little secret? J. Roddy Walston and the Business

I feel like I have just imparted the biggest wisdom of the gods and I can die happy knowing others will soon find out about this amazing band. But by the looks of Great Scott Monday night, my secret’s out! J. Roddy Walston and the Business played to a sold out crowd that was body to body throughout the small venue. It was hot and people were standing closer to me than I usually ever want them to be, but neither the fans nor I really cared.

But let’s get one thing straight: when I say fan, I mean FAN. To know J. Roddy is to be obsessed with J. Roddy. During one of the many roommate music swaps during undergrad, my roommate and I swapped their 2010 self-titled album, and since then, we still pass it along to everyone who grabs music. It’s consistently the “Yeah, take that… nah that album is nothing special… TAKE THE J RODDY!”

Although the band has been playing together since 2002, I find that not enough people know about them. This doesn’t stop their albums from consecutively getting better and better to where they have honed in on their unique sound of southern piano rock (Think a mix of Little Richard, AC/DC, Jerry Lewis, a crazy guy who laughs mid-song but still sounds badass, and a certain other southern rocker who shall not be named). By defining it in these terms, I’m downplaying the fact that this is music you can dance to, yell to, growl to, head bang to…. you name it.

And the audience at the Great Scott on this glorious night did just this. The audience was a bit older than the usual college scene, but not into adult contemporary. It seemed fitting to watch these longhaired, plaid-wearing dudes rock their faces off. What shocked and amazed me was that these people were hardcore! They knew every line, every song and weren’t afraid to yell out and try and match the scratchy, ragged voiced Roddy in enthusiasm.

The four-piece group moves constantly and sings along even when not into the mics. Navigating around the piano, sitting center stage, Roddy alternates from playing guitar standing up, singing through his hair that has been whipped in front of his face causing him to resemble Cousin It, to sitting at the piano, bopping around and throwing his head around with such force I was constantly on alert for when he would smack his head on the top. The band kept their energy flowing as the crowd yelled out songs and set lists were thrown out the window. One kid was jumping up and down like a jumping bean, but even he calmed down during big sing-alongs like their newest single “Heavy Bells,” and sentimental “Brave Man’s Death.” The most epic performance by both band and audience was “Don’t Break the Needle.”

During the second half of the show, Roddy stands up and addresses the crowd asking for participation on a song, asking, “Are you guys ready to be a part of the time?” It hit me during their last song, “Used to Did,” when the entire room was yelling at the top of their lungs along with the band, I felt a part of the time. I was in the moment, thinking holy shit, I’m seeing something that feels different, important, and I’ll remember this performance forever, or until I hunt me down some more J. Roddy.

P.S. If you haven’t found the greatness that is J. Roddy and the Business, GO LISTEN YOU FOOLS!