Small Venue, Big Time Sound
February 12, 2014
The lights go down and the ladies swoon.
Dinner and a Suit, a band out of Nashville, Tenn.,
played in the Principal Black Box Tuesday night to an intimate crowd of about 20.
The tone was set when the band of four skinny jean-wearing guys with Macklemore-style haircuts came to the middle of the stage and fist bumped before the opening song.
The small crowd did not intimidate the band or impair their performance. They gave their all no matter who was there. The band’s lead singer, John Capeci, said, “We love what we do. Connecting with people through the songs we wrote keeps us going day after day.”
This passion for music reflected in the performance.
Their love for music shined brighter than the stage lights that cascaded over the crowd of head bobbing students.
Allyson Zarr, sophomore at Simpson said, “I wasn’t sure who they were, but I decided if they become famous someday, I want to say that I saw them live. They were very good and more people should have come.”
Dinner and a Suit is not just a band. They are also best friends. All the members, except the drummer, grew up in Philadelphia and started playing music in church together. Their dreams moved them to Nashville where they met their current drummer, Drew, who also grew up playing music in his church’s youth group.
Being best friends helps them make it through the tough times and pursue their dreams. Their friendship shows in their persona as they wore matching black t-shirts with a striped pocket. It was adorably charming.
The music is a mix of Indie Rock and the band Parachute. It is easy listening that you could have
as study music or could have playing as you ride down the road with your best friends on a sunny day as the breeze flows through your hair.
The tapping of your foot becomes second nature as you feel the beat in your chest. It’s music you can multitask to or lose yourself in as the lyrics fill your ears.
The show was the band’s first stop on their new Where We Started tour, and their first show in Iowa. The band said their first show in Iowa was “two thumbs up!”
The guys are entertaining, friendly and genuine people that do what they love for a living. And they better make it big one day, because they are the type of artists that give you chills when they play and don’t need autotune to do so.
The concert was impressive, but needed a better time slot. They deserved a larger crowd to appreciate their talents.
“I would definitely go see them again. Simpson should bring them back on a weekend so more people can be exposed to the music,” Zarr said.
Dinner and a Suit is an up-and-coming band that you need to keep a look out for. Check them out on Twitter @dinnerandasuit or their website for upcoming shows and info.
