Two weeks into their fall tour, the progressive psychedelic rock quintet Papadosio introduced their newest album “Extras in a Movie” to Oxford. Oxford citizens responded with their craziest dance moves and lots of support for the band.
Papadosio is made up of Mike Healy on drums, Rob McConnell on bass and vocals, Anthony Thogmartin on guitar and vocals, Billy Brouse on percussion, guitar and vocals and Sam Brouse on guitar and vocals.
“This is the first time in our whole career that we waited until the single and album to come out before we played them,” said Healy.
The band said it’s more enjoyable for them to play the new album to an audience who doesn’t know what to expect. Three years after their last album, “T.E.T.I.O.S.,” Papadosio fans were certainly ready to hear the band’s live renditions of the album.
“It felt like everybody was getting some kind of gift, or something,” said Anthony.
“Extras in a Movie” marked several firsts for the band. It was also the first album they ever released on vinyl, the production of which was paid for with a Kickstarter campaign.
Colorful lights and Papadosio’s space-y vibes filled the Lyric. Haze floated through the air, along with the futuristic, playfully relaxed sounds and colors to create a dreamlike experience. Behind the band, a screen displaying trippy, computerized visuals: scenes of cities and temples interweaved between moving shapes and symmetrical patterns. These images and lights completed the space aesthetic that permeated through Papadosio’s show.
The scene was definitely cinematic, a theme that always seemed to surface with songs from “Extras in a Movie”. While the group mostly focused on playing their newest music, they did play some of their older popular songs, such as “Find Your Cloud” from “T.E.T.I.O.S.”
It’s hard to pin Papadosio as just a progressive rock band. The band certainly, at times, falls into the category of Psych Rock with elements of what one might expect to hear if there were music in space.
“I don’t think we’ll ever stop being confused about what it is that we actually sound like,” said Sam Brouse. “I think we all have different ideas of what it sounds like, then everybody in the crowd has a different idea. It’s been different every single time. It’s just going to keep getting weirder.”
Papadosio is known for live improvisation, and it’s certainly apparent at their performances, where many of their songs run much longer than their recording time, to the audience members’ glee.
Concertgoers danced and appeared to be enjoying themselves quite a bit. For a moment it seemed as though all the world had melted away, and the soothing, hypnotic music would never end.
“We haven’t played the same set ever…to our knowledge,” said Anthony. “Or we never played them the same way.”
Improvisation is both a challenge and an accomplishment for the band. It’s something they’ve improved on during their 10 years of all playing together.
“We’re being little more daring and getting more experimental with what’s going on,” he said.
