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G.R.E.A.T. bands succeed
 Joe Palmersheim -- Music Critic
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The G.R.E.A.T. Playhouse showcased a set by two bands Saturday night, and provided patrons with the vision of stripped-down, melodic folk-rock in the process.
The bands were 12 Rods from Minneapolis and as a special guest, Room 101 from St. Cloud. Both bands had never done an acoustic set before, but judging by the audience’s warm response, they were successful.
Room 101 started the show as an unannounced special guest group. Room 101 is composed of Justin Henspeeder on guitar and vocals and Travis Henspeeder on bass. Both played acoustic guitars for this set and showed a remarkable sense of both syncopation and harmony.
The vocal harmonies were particularly effective, with Justin handling the low end and Travis the high end. The band was missing a member that night.
“We’re two-thirds of Room 101. The other third is in St. Paul having a fondue party,” Travis said.
Room 101’s set included some technical difficulties, mostly involving Travis’ guitar-playing abilities. During the first song, the lowest string broke and Travis showed some skill in changing it while still playing the song. As if that weren’t enough, the highest string started to make an odd high-pitched noise, which inspired Travis to make the audience laugh.
“We’ll be playing with ten strings and the occasional ukulele string,” Travis said.
Room 101’s subject matter ranged from police brutality to alienation and they even covered a Simon and Garfunkel song near the end of their set.
12 Rods came on after a brief intermission. 12 Rods just released their fourth studio album, Lost Time, on V2 Records to favorable reviews from the independent music press. 12 Rods consisted of Ryan and Ev Olcott. Ryan is on vocals, while Ev, who usually plays the synthesizer, played piano. This set was an example of stripped-down pop, as any ‘unplugged’ set should be. The guitar lines were sparse and the vocals were reminiscent of Radiohead. Ryan sings with an eerie, detached-sounding soprano voice, which ranged in effect from vulnerable to just plain disturbing. The lyrics to the songs don’t always rhyme, and are cryptic, to say the least.
With his vintage clothing, touring cap and glasses, Ryan could pass for Hunter S. Thompson, the famous oddball journalist. Ev seemed much more relaxed with his role and played the piano with a sense of assurance and precision. The two performers seemed to balance each other out in this regard, with Ryan running wild and Ev being the anchor that keeps him close to the ground.
This concert was the second ‘Stripped Down DEEP’ concert, with the first being the Flops concert that took place Friday.
DEEP (Diversity Events Educating People) is a group based in St. Cloud that was formed in the spring of 2002 with the purpose of “facilitating the diversification of the arts in the St. Cloud area.” DEEP is a non-profit organization.
“We wanted to do something along the lines of an ‘unplugged’ show,” said SCSU student Xakk Gilder. “Not to throw that term around, but we wanted something that was easier to put on, and sound-wise easier to put on in a room, and in a space smaller than that of a club so that it would be more intimate.”
Intimacy abounded Saturday night, each mistake was met with a knowing smile and each song’s end was greeted with warm applause.
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