Perpetual Groove brought their signature college-age sound to Auburn Thursday night at the SkyBar Cafe.
The band--comprised of Brock Butler, lead guitar and vocals; Adam Perry, bass; Albert Suttle, drums; and John Hruby, keyboard--formed in college at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga., in 1997.
The band is known for its jam-band-inspired sound with a wide range of musical influences, including Paul Simon, My Morning Jacket and--while Butler was slightly embarrassed to admit it--Coldplay and Bon Jovi's song "Always."
"In its most general way I'd say that it's good-times music," he said. "A lot of the lyrics are about forgetting about your worries even if it's only for a little bit"
Butler said he always enjoys playing in Auburn.
"Alabama in general has been really good to us," Butler said. "When we do fraternity parties I'd say probably 80 to 90 percent of them are in Alabama. Always a good time."
Caroline Hussey, junior in communication studies, and Mike Landers, senior in pre-law, were two Auburn students in attendance at the show.
The couple met Feb. 9, 2010, when Perpetual Groove played in Auburn.
Landers said he has been obsessed with Perpetual Groove since 2008 when he heard them in Auburn for the first time.
"We listen to P Groove when we shower, when we sleep, in the car; we never get tired of it," Hussey said.
Since the band formed, they have appealed to college crowds, but Butler said they are trying to cater to a wider audience.
"If we can have that kind of lasting appeal to somebody, that when people hear Perpetual Groove it's not just, 'Oh, that sure takes me back,' but hopefully they'll still be currently listening as well," Butler said.
Hal BrokenClown from Augusta, Ga., was another fan in attendance.
BrokenClown spent a great deal of time and effort coming up with his outfit to display his devotion to the band. BrokenClown's wardrobe for the show consisted of a black hat with attached pink streamers, a tie-dye dress and two different striped socks.
However, the most defining elements of BrokenClown's attire were his oversized, pink and green stuffed fish, Humungus Amungus, and red and black stuffed snake, Enormus Amungus.
"I just wear the outfit to be crazy and meet people," BrokenClown said.
BrokenClown first saw Perpetual Groove in December 2001 in Atlanta at Jake's Roadhouse.
Since, he has seen the band more than 400 times, including traveling as far as Amsterdam to watch a show.
Butler said the band has been working to focus their music more and concentrate on business, which he said often college students interested in pursuing music careers fail to consider.
"It can be quite taxing on your spirit," Butler said. "It's not always going to go the way you hope it will. Really think it through. Think about every decision you make very carefully."
Butler said he knew early on that he wanted to pursue a career in music, and although the structure of a typical 9-to-5 sounds appealing at times, he is most comfortable with a musical instrument in his hands.
"The actual act of playing music is always enjoyable to me," he said.
The fans are also a major motivation for Butler.
"Sometimes on days when I feel like I might have had it, I've gotten so tired or don't feel like traveling, and then I get an e-mail or a Facebook message from someone who tells me how the music has literally changed their life," Butler said.
The band recently relocated from Savannah to Athens, Ga., a city which he said oozes music and creativity.
Butler said he estimates the band spends 120 to 140 days out of the year on the road, and although all of the members differ in opinion, the band is lucky to get to do what they love and see the world.
"I think that makes us a good band because we're all on opposite ends of the spectrum, but then we meet in the middle. Anybody can have a rough day on the job, but ultimately we all kind of prop each other up and keep everybody enjoying it."
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