On a cool Thursday night this past February, Lafayette, La.’s Givers made musical magic for a small but attentive crowd at New World Brewery. The youthfully exuberant five-piece used their own positive energy to get the momentum going, weaving a bright and shining wave of thrilling sonics that surged across the crowd and prompted an immediate response of spirited movement, whether it was head-bobbing or full-scale, unabashed dancey-pantsing.
Each member added his or her own charisma and sonic textures to the mix. In addition to her husky-sweet vocals, Tiffany “Teddy” Lamson (the band’s most captivating member and its sole female) strummed ukulele and sporadic guitar, and filled out the rhythms on a percussion rig that included toms, high hat, cowbell, tambourine and glockenspiel. Co-frontperson Taylor Guarisco played lead guitar and sang in a robust tenor, bouncing around the tiny patio stage like a curly-haired kangaroo, hitting his high notes and harmonizing with mouth open wide and eyes rolled back in head. Josh LeBlanc brought lively bouncing bass grooves, Kirby Campbell was all flailed-arm drumming (like Animal, but without the feathery red hair), and Will Henderson used keys, synths and samplers to construct the layers and textures that filled out the dazzling soundscapes.
And Givers brought a genuine sense of excitement and infectious joy to their sticky, Afro-flavored electro pop, taking us to the heights with the uplifting “Up Up Up,” and wearing their earnest hearts on their sleeves in the lively poignancy of “Ceiling of Plankton.” They peppered their sparkling melodies, darling spot-on boy-girl harmonies, and brilliant cascades of synthesized sound with moments of unadulterated rocking out, progressive-jam-electropsychetronics hitting a blissful peak, then released in glorious explosions of aural confetti.
This article appears in May 13-19, 2010.