Zox @ Grog and Tankdard: May 27, 2004

You know the show is going to be good when the drummer strips off his jeans and the violinist follows suit with his shoes – before the show even begins! But enough about the eye-candy, let’s talk about the music. And what amazing music it is! What is it about the stage that can transform mild-mannered young men into energetic bouncing rockers? The energy flowed effortlessly from the boys of Zox into the crowd. Eli Miller (singer/guitarist) was the wizard and the crowd was fixated on him and Spencer Swain (violinist/singer). The two jammed and bounced back-and-forth so hard and fast it’s amazing they didn’t ram into each other. Not to be outdone, drummer John Zox is just as animated and holds court with a steady rhythm along side bassist Dan Edinberg.

The crowd was ready for a good time and Zox delivered by performing songs off their debut album Take Me Home. The album does the band no justice. Zox is a live band. Zox is to be seen and experienced. You have to take it in and be a witness to the passion that oozes off the band. The audience was constantly grooving and showing off a variety of dance moves from 2-stepping to river dancing to ballet. The only time the crowd stood still was during a violin solo. Spencer’s violin sang so beautifully that the crowd literally held its breath and then burst into appreciative screams and applause. Can we say, “magic fingers?” Spencer’s violin adds richness to the songs and a higher level of emotion.

Zox’s energy seemed to increase as the night went on. At the end of the show, Eli jumped off the stage and into the crowd and continued to play his guitar without missing a note. Then, he took his guitar off and ran out of the club and into the streets. But the music on stage played on and the crowd’s heads continued to bop and bodies continued to groove.

It’s no wonder Zox has been added to this year’s Warped Tour. Check out their website at http://www.zoxband.com for show dates. For a fun time, do yourself a favor and go see Zox live. You deserve it.

Nan C
nancy@unearthed.com