First band up for #TEAMw21 at this years Long Road Festival were East Of Reno, although by their own admission this was not a normal performance for them. Many were still queuing to get in as they took to the Front Porch Stage appearing as 3 piece rather than their regular 5 piece format, and when one of those missing is both your guitarist and lead singer, you begin to see why it was not a typical outing for the band. With vocal duties being divided between keyboard player Chris Vince and bassist Jason Rungapadiachy, they were still able to put on a very entertaining start to the day.
Things would appropriately open with "Open Door" with Chris Vince taking on lead vocal duties, quite often to be found in a playing stance akin to if he was about to start an 800m at the Olympics, neither sat nor standing but always ready to go. With backing vocals from Jason Rungapadiachy and from a drummer hidden away at the back of the stage, I doubt many people seeing them for the first time would have guessed that anyone as missing. The plaintive cry of "Long time coming" on the chorus made for a powerful opening, with Chris's key's perfectly filling in the gap where a guitar would have been.
Vocals would duly switch to Jason for "Anyone Other Than You", with it's British take on an Americana chorus
"I don't really get you at all - feel like I'm banging my head on a brick wall"
With backing "ooh's" this was a little understated gem no matter who was singing it.
As Jason would remark before launching into the next song "Right nice innit!" as he surveyed the ever growing throng surrounding the Front Porch stage.
The real Americana element in their material would come to the fore in "Night Of Nothing", in this format making East Of Reno sound a touch like a British Phil Vassar, which is no bad thing. It's the regret and self realisation in the line "I threw it away" that really added the extra level of pathos required!
There would be an unusual cover of Bruce Hornsby's, "Every Little Kiss" which was probably ideal for the reduced piano led band format, it not someone we can ever recall being played at Long Road before, but given the circumstances you have to accept its just the way it is!
In a total change of sound it was back to their first EP for "My Dad ( Had No Middle Name)" which with fast fired lyrics sung in a somewhat David Byrne style, along with throbbing bass guitar notes did seem a bit like Talking Heads, It was full of energy and excitement seeming to end with Chris walking away from the piano. Even Jason commented that he'd need his "inhaler after that one" .
Although there was more to come #TEAMw21 were promised to be elsewhere, but even on this introductory twenty minutes from a band missing 40% of it's members there was much to enjoy and to investigate once the Festival was over.
PHOTOS BY: COLIN JONES PHOTOGRAPHY