During our weekend at the Northlands Music & Arts Festival, the crew from Paste Studio’s On the Road series filmed an eclectic lineup of sessions from our temporary headquarters in the Maple Barn. A warm, rustic space once used for maple syrup production, the barn had been transformed into an eye-catching room filled with vintage syrup tins, glowing neon, and humorous cutouts, such as a garden gnome and an irreplaceable cut-out of Danny Devito (which, in fact, added much soul to each session we recorded). The space seemed to draw out the best in every artist who stepped inside, as there was no high-tech setup for the talent to hide behind, just the band, their instruments, and their skill. Neighbor was no exception. The New England-based jam band, made up of Richard James (vocals, keys), Rob Compa (guitar), Dan Kelly (bass), and Dean Johnston (drums), brought a tight, yet relaxed and fun energy to the barn, and their set helped recharge us after the many other great sessions we had recorded.
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This set was stripped back compared to what you would see on most big festival stages, and consisted of three new songs, all hot off the press ready to be recorded. Rob’s setup notably consisted of a single Tube Screamer pedal plugged straight into a backline amp, about as simple as it gets for a jam band guitarist. But that just highlighted what makes him and his band great, the ability to rely on feel and creativity, and a sense of joy when removed from a larger setup.
They opened with “Carmelita,” a good-feeling tune where the band showed off their ability to fill songs evenly with musical skill. It set a great tone for the rest of the set, as the band proved their ability to groove together and back each other up, especially during the blistering guitar solos of Rob Compa. The whole band playfully joked about being tired (it was Father’s Day, and all their kids were hanging just outside the barn), but you wouldn’t know based on the energy brought to the set.Next came “Grandaddy Said,” which leaned into a Western, Johnny Cash sound before morphing into a half-time, atmospheric jam evoking a Queen, Brian May-esque feel. This was an unexpected musical combo, but one that worked very well and helped show why Neighbor is a unique band that one should feel lucky to see.
They closed with “Sunday Afternoon,” which Richard endearingly introduced as “for the chumps.” Starting as a quiet, reflective piano-and-vocal number seemingly about the freedoms, joys, and quiet complexities of a loner’s Sunday, it bloomed into a full-band jam that perfectly summed up the Neighbor sound. When the band comes together and finds a climactic crescendo of a song, they are at their best, and all three songs showed this in spades.
Huge thanks to Jen, Mike, Seth, Greg, and the rest of the Northlands team for helping to make this session happen, and for giving us spaces like the Maple Barn to capture performances that really showcase the unique sides of artists. Keep your eyes peeled for more Paste Studio “On the Road” sessions!
