Amfibian played last Friday night at the Pearl Street nightclub. With a packed house, a solid groove, and a seven-member band, what else could one want?
On Dec. 1 a little known band called Amfibian strolled into Northampton to perform before a sold-out crowd at the Pearl Street Night Club. Amfibian, a seven-member band from Princeton, New Jersey, rocked for nearly two hours. Coming on stage after Addison Groove Project, Amphibian quickly noted how excited and friendly the crowd was. Loosened up by Addison’s funky sounds, the crowd quickly picked up the beat of Amphibian’s opener “Flare,” a fun, groovy song. The stage presence of this seven-member band was rather roomy. Four guitars, one keyboardist, two drum sets-yet no instrument dominated another.
Amfibian is truly best known for their lead man Tom Marshall, the writer of many Phish songs, and good friend of guitar virtuoso Trey Anastasio. Amfibian is not a tribute band to Phish, clearly performing their own personal songs with grace. Songs like “Appreciate” and “Oblivious” proved that the new band, whose members all have day jobs, truly know how to play and are tightly knit. With guitar solos, drum solos, and excellent lyrics, Amfibian left the stage for intermission leaving the crowd yearning for more.
The second set opened with “Mesapotomia” and then went straight into an older song called “The Wedge.” Not necessarily a Phish cover, because it is a Tom Marshall original, many fans sang along to the slow yet hard song, and shortly thereafter Amfibian brought out a guest musician from the local area to perform the sweet song “Brian and Robert.” The guest musician Brain Mulckehey added much to Amphibian’s sound with his unique playing on the harmonica. Bringing a faster pace and louder tone, Amfibian quickly changed mood into the more lively fast paced jams like “The Way I Feel” and “If I Can’t Turn to You.”
“The Way I Feel,” quite possibly the best song of the night, had lyrics that brought nostalgia and was undoubtedly the most energetic of the many songs that night. Ending the second set with “If I Can’t Turn To You,” Amfibian had proven their talent over and above what anyone in the crowd could have expected. For a band that has been playing together for merely seven years, Amfibian proved that it is truly the talent of each member that makes conjoined music sound so good.
Coming back on stage for an encore of “Drunk” and “Face” the crowd was given one last chance to get down and to cheer the band. After the music the band members stayed after to shake hands and thank the crowd. They answered questions and gave more insight about their tour plans. For now Amfibian is only touring around the Northeast and has no plans to perform for New Year’s Eve. However, they do plan to continue to play into the new year and will definitely be coming back to visit Northampton again.
Amfibian performed a night of fun, excellent music, pleasing the sold-out crowd, themselves, and even the bartender. They’re a great band with excellent songs and fantastic lyrics. Amfibian is a band not to be missed or ignored. More information can be found about Amfibian and Tom Marshall on the official Phish webpage, www.phish.com.
