JC/BC headlined at the Subway Stage of Concord University on Wednesday, April 1. Brothers, a new band, warmed up the crowd as the opening act.
JC/BC was originally started by Jerry Cruise and Bob Campion several years ago, and now the band has grown to include Dylan McInturff on drums and vocals and Bill Fraley, Concord’s Director of Residence Life, on bass and vocals. Cruise and Campion both play guitar and do vocals for the band.
Fraley, Campion, and McInturff were at the concert, but Cruise was unable to make it. Although the band said that this left them unable to do certain songs, from the audience viewpoint there was not a noticeable gap in quality left from Cruise’s absence.
The band, according to their Facebook page, covers 60s-70s Classic Rock, Blues, 90s Alternative, and 80s Rock music. They have influences varying from the Beatles, the Foo Fighters, Drive-by Truckers, Bill Monroe, Black Sabbath, and Rick Springfield.
JC/BC is a local band that has spread from playing in just West Virginia to also playing in Virginia and South Carolina as well.
During the show on Wednesday, there were a few times that they played extremely recognizable songs such as “Superstition.” The crowd had a visible reaction of excitement during these songs, nodding their heads to the beat.
The opening act of JC/BC was a newer band called Brothers, which is a Black Keys tribute band. Brothers consists of Andrew Sulgit, Director of Student Activities, the Student Center, Greek Affairs, and Special Events, with guitar and vocals, and Saul Harlow, a junior at Concord, on drums.
“Saul was helping with orientation and we were talking about music and we determined that we were into some of the same bands and stuff. Probably my favorite band is Black Keys, and he mentioned that he was looking into a band to get involved in. We got together late fall and practiced a few times and we just got there,” said Sulgit.
The show with JC/BC was Brothers’ first performance ever, and although it didn’t go exactly as planned because of some technical difficulties, it still seemed to go well. Sulgit thought that opening for another band would help Brothers get off its feet.
For the younger band, the concert was a helpful step on the path to becoming a well-known band. “Well when you’re just getting started as a band, playing a full gig is a lot. So we knew the guys in JC/BC pretty well, and they said that we could open for them. That gave us the opportunity to get our feet wet and stuff. And playing Concord lets us have a lot of mostly friendly people around. I know we’ve learned a lot of things that we’ll change for the next set. It was a learning experience,” said Sulgit.
With one show under their belts, Harlow and Sulgit are ready for the next adventure. “We hope to play again soon, and practice our craft. We’ll come back bigger and better next time as well,” Sulgit said.
The crowd seemed entertained by both performances, and although the numbers in the room began to thin as the night went on, it looked like people were enjoying themselves.
Both bands had a good stage presence, with JC/BC making jokes both between and about the band members while on stage. The excitement of the performers made the shows much more interesting to see and hear.
To learn more about JC/BC and keep updated on future performances, check out their Facebook page simply called “JC/BC.” Brothers also has a Facebook page, called “Brothers.”