Oranjuly at TT's

Last Wednesday, me and my umbrella braved the weather and headed out to Cambridge to see the band Oranjuly play a set at TT's. As expected, they did not disappoint.

I cannot stress this enough: this is a band to watch. Once their album is produced, and once they get more performances under their belt, I promise you that they will be all over the area.

The opening act was Corin Ashley, a big name in Boston and one of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure of knowing. He started the night with an acoustic set, and his warm and engaging personality got the crowd warmed up for the rest of the acts. Because it was Canada Day, Corin tried to cover many Canadian artists, which was fun.

Then came Oranjuly. They played for about 30-45 minutes, and played both older favorites and some new songs that will be on the new album. Frontman Brian E. King has a knack for a clever line and a catchy harmony. His musical talents, as he skipped between keys and guitar, are also not to be beat.

Jordan Weaver, who focused on guitars but also spent some time with keys and percussion during the set and supplied some vocal harmonies, is a good ying to Brian's yang. Bassist Christian Erickson adds charm to the group as well.

The person I want to spend some time discussing, as he is new and brings so much to their live sets, is the new drummer, Lou Paniccia. Until Lou came along, Oranjuly had a host of guest drummers filling in behind the set, including frontman Tyler of the band Thick As Thieves that I've waxed poetic about in the past, and while I think Tyler did a great job, I really think Lou shines with Oranjuly. He completely embodies every drum beat, putting his full being in every song. His charm and energy is catchy. While Brian is a quieter frontman, Lou often interjected humor and livliness, jokingly without a mike.

The crowd was decently sized for a cold Wednesday night, and included such musical heavy hitters as Corin, Tyler, and Scott of the bands The Russians, The Great Bandini, and The High Holidays. Great to see all of them out and about, and they all had nothing but praise for Oranjuly's show. I scanned the crowd, and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face and tapping toes. I watched the show with Corin, and at one point he said that he loves Brian's songs, and that he was so pleased to see such a big crowd supporting this band.

Oranjuly will be spending some time finishing their album, but I can't wait until their next set.