Papadosio, Guavatron Pair Up for Magical Night in St. Petersburg
Papadosio opened their winter tour with a three-night run in Florida: Jacksonville > St. Petersburg > Ft. Lauderdale. For those last two shows, Papadosio were joined by the Sunshine State’s jamtronic powerhouse Guavatron. Their show Friday, January 20, at Jannus Live in St. Peterburg also featured DJ Austen van der Bleek, who opened the show a few minutes ahead of the announced 8 p.m.
van der Bleek had an enjoyable 40-minute set to get the crowd warmed up on a balmy night (the thermometer has been on a rollercoaster here in Florida of late). He included a variety of styles in his DJ set.
Kudos to the stage crew for getting Guavatron up and running just nine minutes later! The West Palm Beach quartet had a fabulous 2022 and dug right in on their hour-long set with “Xilla,” a fan favorite for years that appeared last year on the band’s debut album Momentous. [In fact, four of the five songs they played came from that album.]
Before we discuss the music further, we need to discuss the sound. This was, by far, the very best sound I’ve ever heard at Jannus Live (going back almost 30 years). The vocals were lost a bit in the mix, but the volume was perfect, and you could hear every instrument just right. For Papadosio, the bass was cranked up a bit but still truly excellent. BRAVO!
The jamtronica flowed for 44 minutes, as the deep jam in “Xilla” yielded to “Here to Stay.” Casey Luden on drum kit and vocals was propelling the set, with Conor Crookham’s super space bass up in the mix. That 19-minute pairing lead to a 25-minute romp through “Turtle Dream,” completely awash in Roddy Hansen’s keyboards and synths.
Next Guavatron offered a brand new track, first time performed live, a mellow instrumental that again featured Hansen: “Prism.” They closed with their “hit” tune “Disco Shades,” guitarist Adonis Guava properly bespectacled. His guitar work all set was superb, and he and Luden handled the vocals. This was the largest crowd Guavatron has played to in the Tampa Bay area, and they made the very most of it.
[GUAVATRON: Xilla > Here To Stay > Turtle Dream, Prism, Disco Shades]
Kudos to the stage crew again for a short set break!
It had been far too long since we had enjoyed the music of Papadosio, so welcome on this night. Their setlist of jamtronica, indie rock, synth pop and more bounced all over their discography, opening with “We Are Water” (T.E.T.I.O.S. 2012) from the album that just got a great ten-year anniversary. The mid-tempo track drifted into “Versicolor,” a beautiful tune from Microdosio, the band’s 2020 release. The Brothers Brouse — Sam and Billy — were deep into their keyboards and synths.
We got a breakout, as the band’s brand new single “Dare You” was played live for the very first time. The vocals were good although not completely clear (again, that sound issue). The sound mix was great on another Microdosio track, “Lion’s Mane,” Anthony Thogmartin on guitar standing out.
The quintet then settled into a really fine groove with “The Domes,” which eventually yielded to some deep funk on “You and Yourself” (Observations 2020). Rob McConnell was a standout here on bass, and Mike Healy was on top of the time all set on kit. That led to a really hot “Night Colors,” another from Observations. Its deep rumble energized the crowd.
Another excellent new song was “You’re a Catman,” a single from last year, and that jam twisted into “Cue Jam” (T.E.T.I.O.S. again). Brought back by an enthusiastic packed crowd for an encore, Papadosio went back to the beginning, back to 2007’s Magreenery for “Utopiate,” closing out a fine night of music.
[PAPADOSIO: We Are Water > Versicolor, Dare You, Lions Mane, The Domes > You and Yourself , Night Colors, Catman > Cue Jam; E: Utopiate]
