Brown Couch Reclines Against Originality and Experience

Author: Hans Manzke

Brown Couch? Who? Yeah. If you're like me and have slowly and unwittingly turned aside from the whole folk-pop scene championed by the ubiquitous Dave Matthews Band and the continually rising popularity of home-grown Vermont jam collective Phish, your ear, like mine, was a long way from the ground on this one. Brown Couch is an unassuming group of gentlemen out of the Washington, D.C., area, whose rise to popularity began long before they arrived on The Grille stage last Friday night. Their musical efforts, while treading on now-familiar ground, are simply too catchy and funky not to appreciate.

The group played to a healthy crowd, packed into the first and second floors of The Grille. As the performers warmed up, dozens of standing fans crowded the area directly in front of the stage, creating an intimate setting. Unfazed by getting lost in Brandon for 45 minutes on their way to Middlebury, the group immediately got down to business with an up-tempo crowd pleaser. Interaction with the crowd was near-constant as the unpretentious group members talked with and dedicated songs to individuals in the audience upon request. All four members appeared to be college students a few years removed - frontman Himmelman sported a pair of jeans and a "Rolling Rock" T-shirt. Heads bobbed and rumps shook as dozens of fans danced freely, with the front row turning into one big sing-a-long.

These guys are no moon-faced amateurs, as became immediately apparent after their first song. Their album "Curious" is available through online sources now, stuffed with organic pop cuts tailored for the college music scene. Upon first listen, Dave Matthews and Blues Traveler immediately come to mind, while less obvious comparisons can be drawn to Speechwriters LLC and Howie Day. Their sound is tight, their goals clear and their lyrical harmonies quite impressive. Vocally tempered through classical training and participation in multiple a capella groups while attending Yale, frontmen Jeff Himmelman and Brian Smith have the uncanny ability to harmonize accurately and effectively on command. Bassist Jordan Ringo is above average and percussionist Todd Stone rocks the snare and high hat effectively. Brown Couch's layered and constant sonic textures are sure to make Middlebury College students think of Dispatch, Midd's own folk-pop group. After hearing such polished sonic offerings, it becomes clear that this is no garage band searching for support. Its music is confident and self-aware, with the slightest hint of a well-earned swagger.

The rhythm section churns out the varied and never-ending pulse that, along with Himmelman's and Smith's outstanding harmonization, dominates nearly every song. The requisite confessional ballad is present, but it is clear that Brown Couch exists to make the crowd move. Priority is given to insistently-strummed major chords and on-beat snare attacks, coalescing to effectively achieve an engrossed, involved and active audience. Even Smith's virtuosic harmonica contributes to the overall rhythmic construct.

Smith, Himmelman and company have rubbed elbows with the likes of the Violet Femmes, Ben Harper and Wilco. Another taste of the beginnings of stardom came when the title track from their new album "Curious" was chosen to be included on the "Winter Break" soundtrack. So for those of you who haven't heard of Brown Couch but love the wholesome, slapstick teen interaction and toned-down potty humor offered by that flick, rewind your copy and listen up for "Curious."

Brown Couch's set meandered little. Each song had a specific purpose, whether it be rhythmically stirring the crowd into a frenzy or allaying a bit of the party atmosphere with a bit of well-placed down-tempo introspection. Middlebury College students came to boogie down. They were not disappointed. The music contains no hints of the overblown, unwarranted braggadocio found in so much of the post -"Room for Squares" wasteland of single-use, recycled pop garbage. This group is a breath of fresh air and one that will undoubtedly wield its unique brand of folk-funk for the good of music kind in the future.