Connecting with the Crowd

In a small, three-bedroom apartment near the University of Idaho campus, a local band is playing “The Final Countdown.” The space is tightly packed, with makeshift bouncers patrolling the building’s entrances. Suddenly, the song changes to Aladdin’s “A Whole New World.”

For Kelsey Chapman, UI fourth-year student and lead singer for Two Point Oh, the performance is just another opportunity to gauge the audience’s reaction and experiment with original covers.

“People will sit there stunned for a minute, then finally get it — they’re hearing the classic lines ‘I can show you the world,’” she said. “I love the reaction every time.”

Chapman, along with fellow band members Vince DiFatta (drums), Brantley Bacon (keytar), Bobby Meador (guitar) and Connor Bruce (bass), did not expect to find much success. 

However, the Moscow community received the group with open arms, leading to a recent spike in interest.

“We take songs and throw other things in the middle or change the style completely,” Meador said. “But it works. Our sound has developed so much in the last year and we really have something. These aren’t genres we would normally play, but we make them our own.”

The current iteration of Two Point Oh formed May 2018, when Chapman filled in last-minute for Buckshot Lafunk — the group’s name at the time. Although Chapman had never performed with the other members, Meador said he knew the group’s direction had to change and that she was the missing piece.

“It was something about the atmosphere and how Kelsey controlled the crowd — we immediately knew she was the key,” he said.

In desperate need of a bass player, the group decided on Bruce shortly after. Within two months, they formed Two Point Oh.

“It’s in the name. We’re the next step, the second iteration, the 2.0,” Bacon said.

Shelby Gutierrez, a recent UI graduate, former marching band member and local music fan, said discovering new, often unfamiliar music is part of being a musician — Two Point Oh has not disappointed.

She said Bacon, in particular, brings a unique vibe to each performance.

“How many groups do you know with a keytar?” Gutierrez said. “And not in a tacky way — like, a good keytar player.”

The band was initially described to Gutierrez as a Buckshot Lafunk spinoff — a group she and many other Vandal Marching Band members were familiar with.

“We loved it. The energy was infectious, and over time, we came to know their jams (and) anticipate the mashups,” Gutierrez said.

She said while the lines gradually became blurred and the membership less precise, everything became clear when she first heard the name Two Point Oh and saw Chapman on vocals.

“I turn out to three to four events a semester — I’m usually coming for them, not going to lie,” she said. “Plus, it’s just so fun. People really let loose, and I think it breaks barriers that might be present in our other professional relationships.”

Finding time to rehearse has been a struggle, DiFatta said, as it can be difficult for the members to balance music with school and work. Setting concert dates has proved even more challenging.

“I play in five other bands and work three jobs — often I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to rehearsal,” DiFatta said.

Despite these obstacles, Two Point Oh finds time to rehearse at least twice in the week leading up to a gig. And the practice pays off.

“When we’ve finally nailed a cover to the wall, and you see the crowd’s reaction, people going nuts for it — you know you’ve done it,” Meador said. “You’ve set out to accomplish something and you’ve actually done it.”

Locations can vary anywhere from apartments to bars and other local venues, but the group noted difficulty in finding new venues.

“It’s definitely a music town, but setting up the gigs (can be hard). There’s a surplus of talent here and so many people are willing to do it for free. It can be challenging,” Bacon said. “And we can’t really play face-melting punk at Bucer’s or One World.”

Meador said it is also difficult to balance the “two extremes” of touring bands and open jam acoustic sessions.

“You can’t do homework while listening to us — you just can’t. It’s impossible,” Chapman said.

In addition to the many available on-campus music programs, Moscow is home to a number of venues which cater to various live musical opportunities. One such spot, The Bayou — a concert venue operating out of a residential Moscow home — has become a popular location for independent touring bands.

Run by UI student Gabriel Smith since 2017, The Bayou is gearing up for its first 2019 show.

“The bands can really connect with the crowd in this spot — it’s more of an independent style of show,” Smith said. “Many have said it’s their favorite show on tour and it’s usually a pretty good crowd for whatever it is, regardless of genre.”

While The Bayou relies mainly on Facebook promotion, flyers and word of mouth, shows can also be booked at Humble Burger and One World Cafe.

Smith, who has been a longtime member of what he calls the “do it yourself” community, said creating a sense of community around music has always been a value he holds dear.

“Part of it comes from being a small town with not a lot going on — the crowd is always super receptive, partially because there aren’t many opportunities to find this independent music,” Smith said. “I’m focused on how this sense of community can positively affect other people.”

With new song recordings and professional studio work, Bacon said Two Point Oh now has a project to show off to potential businesses.

“It wouldn’t even be a stretch for us to do a full album — what we do is so unique with our original covers,” Bacon said. “There’s just enough continuity for people to hang, but twists, turns and subverted expectations along the way.”

Energized by their most recent performances, Two Point Oh members are excited to move forward.

“We can pack a venue now — it’s insane to think about,” DiFatta said. “That’s never happened in any other band I’ve been in. Everyone in this band works so hard, we could be a wrecking crew at writing music once school is done. We just need to pull the trigger.”

While Chapman is set to graduate in May, Bacon still has one more year left at UI. Nevertheless, the group plans to stay together for the foreseeable future and continue growing their audience.

“This is something we’ve all wanted to do, Chapman said. “And it’s now a reality.”

Story by Max Rothenberg

Photo by Joleen Evans

Design by Pepe Maciel