FRAZZLE TOWN 4
written by Elisha Gud
photos by B. Hockensmith
As you may know, this past weekend was a huge success for one of our favorite local bands in Columbus, Ohio. Sassafraz out did themselves by putting together Frazzle Town, a night filled with multiple acts of music, art, and excitement at the historic Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. Frazzle Town, which I have had the pleasure of attending since the very beginning started off at the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky and continued this year for two nights. The first night, Sassafraz put on their show in the band’s home-town of Columbus, Ohio last Friday and then continued the following Saturday at the Madison Live in Covington, Kentucky. This event showcased many bands from Ohio and this year,—including Peridoni, Zoo Trippin, Heady Ruxpin, and one of Columbus’ finest hip hop acts, Tony G. Finesse and Black Eagle. Also joining in was a guest performer from local Athens, Ohio hip hop artist Emcee Schwartz who has been seen performing with Sassfraz on multiple occasions in the past.
Now, instead of going on about which bands did what or which bands didn’t—, I’m going to list five reasons why I think Sassafraz is crushing it on their quest to become more of a national act and why this year’s Frazzle Town was a huge addition to the many stepping stones they have accomplished along the way in doing so.–*NOTE in this case, I am using the term ‘Crushing it.’ This term has been flooding the music scene and it is a great representation of how Sassafraz has achieved many of their goals along with the excitement of doing so.
- Sassafraz has been known to play in small venues up and down the eastern side of the U.S. From their New York Tour, all over Ohio, and on down to the Florida coast just after the New Year. They have played in many music festivals, including the Werkout in 2012; (where the band successfully competed for one of the last spots to play before the lineup came out); and Rootwire 2014, where they crushed it with their renditions of Led Zeppelin tunes.
- When the band members aren’t playing shows with their own bands they are around town hanging out with fans, playing sit-in’s at local shows, and contributing to the local Columbus music scene. Jake Goldberg-(Bassist) and Thane Evans-(keyboardist) are typically found working on their side project, Baby Hands, a band that mostly likes to just jam. Usually you can find every Sassafraz member at one of these events, and at some point every one of them will make it on stage with the performing band.
- As I mentioned in the beginning Frazzle Town isn’t just for the bands, it’s also for the local venders (such as Team Fun), visual artists including Blake Bower, Vincent Krivda and Kaiti Deddens, stilt walkers from The Amazing Giants, and fans.
- Sassafraz has been creating incredible line ups for Frazzle Town every year, showcasing multiple genres of music that can be found throughout the music festival scene. Often times you find similarities in music throughout the festival scene and music scene depending on seasons and location. Sassafraz crushes it when collecting groups of talented artists and musicians, because every show needs a little bit of funk, rock, hip-hop, and jam all squeezed into one successful night.
- All of these things bring a music festival feel; they make a show feel more like a community and a home versus a venue and it encourages people to talk and engage with each other.
Frazzle Town is the reuniting with friends you don’t get to see often, or seeing your favorite visual artist showcasing some of their newest work that you’ve been dying to see for weeks. It’s connecting with one another and dancing around with a friend you haven’t seen since festival season or you didn’t think you’d see until New Years. That is what Frazzle Town is about. That is what Sassafraz is about. All of these great qualities are why I believe we’ll be seeing Sassafraz heading towards bigger stages in the coming years.
