Concert review: Rock the Republic, Day One in Bryan, Texas (October 16)

by Charlotte Golden

After the hustle and bustle of Austin City Limits comes a smaller show in a city we never really saw ourselves in. Sure, we’ve heard of Texas A&M before, but science dunces like ourselves need not apply. So, we’ve never been to the campus, and never been to the quaint adjoining town of Bryan, Texas -- until last night.

With music blaring from every venue, Rock the Republic had a head-bangingly good start on its Thursday night kick off. The bars, clubs, and theaters hosting the event were all in short walking distance from each other, making it a hop, skip, and a jump to each fantastic show -- $25 for three days of music ain’t too shabby.

Trebuchet jump-started our night on Thursday with a little less conversation and a little more rock in the town’s community theater. Their great set included their pristine cover of Elton John’s "Benny and the Jets."

Soon after, we went off the charts to catch the song that stuck in our heads for the rest of the evening and all of today: “Where is my wallet? Where is my mother _____ wallet?” With beguiling lyrics and comical raps, The Hudsons from Austin rocked our socks off. They're not exactly a DFW band, but these guys definitely deserve a shout-out.

Next stop on the bandwagon:

The Roomsounds, a quartet originally from Connecticut who have recently settled in the DFW area. These guys never cease to amaze us with their catchy '60s-style tunes, great covers by Tom Petty and Oasis, and their impeccable taste in jewelry and tight pants. Judging from the scene at the bar, the guys were very well received and enjoyed by the crowd -- especially the ladies.

Third stop, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights from Dallas. They already had the crowd stirred up as we walked straight into an awesome cover of "Honky Tonk Woman" by the Rolling Stones. Being huge Stones fans, we were crazy impressed. Jonathan Tyler, Nick Jay, Jordan Cain, Mo Brown, and the guitarist known only as Kansas, keep a cool rock sound with a tiny '50s twist -- think Johnny Cash and The Who mixed together. Throw in a sweet Hendrix cover of "Crosstown Traffic" and voila! You’ve got a perfect mix. Mo Brown (percussion and vocals) took to the stage as vocalist for one of the songs, and initially her sharp attitude and look caught my attention, but her vocals left us a little bittersweet. Overall, they kept us banging our heads and swinging our hips. You’ll see us at another one of their shows for sure. We’ll be the ones in the corner playing air guitar.

To wrap up the evening and wind down a little, we headed back over to The Village coffee shop for a Lone Star and a little sweet serenading by Ryan Edgar. A crooner by nature, coupled with some folksy acoustic guitar, this singer-songwriter was the perfect end to our evening. With a look like Devandra Burnhart and a new John Mayer sound, he played for the crowd and ate up all the energy in the room. Getting a quick chat with him at the end of his set, Ryan told us he was having a great time at Rock the Republic, especially with the perks of a free room and all the nibbles he could get.

All in all, the fest had a great start and we can’t wait to do it all over again!

Charlotte Golden and Roz Miller are festival-hopping scenesters from Denton.