On June 20th, at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, Motus packed the house for the release of their new EP. The self-titled debut project features five well-written songs that are accompanied by a seven-piece band. Honestly, though, that is not even the story here. This is a band that has only been together a short while and already has something very special.
With little to no exposure or marketing, they have already developed a sound business and loyal fan base. This is key for these emerging acts because of how tight things typically are in the beginning financially. I am speaking on this first because Motus blew me away with their effectiveness.
First, they came prepared with well branded CD’s, (yes, it is still a thing) quality t-shirts and a poster. The poster was a gift with purchase of a shirt and disc. There was a nice legible sign and a sweet smiling face behind the counter too. It sounds simple enough, however, getting a great design on your merchandise and CD isn’t always cheap or easy. I said all that to say this, they pushed their stuff in between every song. They sold over 50 CD’s, dozens of shirts, and a few loyal fans even paid for the posters in a show of their support. For a venue of that size, these numbers are remarkable and a testament to their quality of performance and engagement.
Now to the performance itself, in short, it’s a classy fun vibe chalked full of great harmonies between the vocalists and incredible cohesion within the band. Each member has their own swag, for example Rebekah Way, the sax player is the real life Lisa Simpson. Cleary very smart and reserved with the occasional witty joke, you would almost think she is on the business side of the band. Then she just gets out there and rips it.
Monica Parshotam, the band frontwoman and keyboard player has a sweet jazzy voice and incredible vocal instinct. Her knack for drawing you in with her unique tones is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. No lie, the melodies are just hypnotic, plain and simple. But wait, there is more! Troy Bohman on bass and vocals has a classic sound and wicked good pen. When he comes into the set as a second lead the dynamic flips. As they lean into this unique sound there is a real potential for a wildly successful band to emerge here. If they continue to grow within themselves and their music, you undoubtedly will see them on huge stages everywhere.
Although I am not diving into each of the seven artists in depth, you can rest assured that Sam Jaeger (guitar), Daniel Lombard (trumpet), Alex Roemmele (drums), and Jeanie Marinella (vocals, percussion) are all full of personality and skill worthy of noting. This group gets a solid endorsement from me if strong, talented bands with dope melodies and soulful songs are your thing.
