The name Ohio State Fair brings to mind images of farm animals, deep-fried dishes, and country music. Ironically, the band is from Boston, not Cleveland, and their sound evokes more of a psychedelic dreamscape.
The indie rock group celebrated the release of their debut EP “Desire Path” with a performance at Warehouse XI in Somerville on Oct. 9.
The five-piece group, composed of Natasha Kafi on lead vocals and omnichord, Martin Kessler on bass and vocals, Andre M on guitar, Eamonn Burke on drums, and a musician who simply goes by X on guitar, performed several songs from their new record, with each track evoking a shoegaze soundscape layered under rich vocal harmonies.
With a larger group, it can be hard to strike a balance where all musicians are heard, but with Ohio State Fair, the vibrating notes of the bass could clearly be distinguished from the reverberating guitar strums.
Kafi’s singing was somehow even more polished than on the EP, an impressive feat for live vocals, especially while moving about the stage. Her higher range blended perfectly with Kessler’s lower baritone.
Under the silver circles of light cast by a large overhanging disco ball, the audience nodded their heads in sync with the beat of the band’s hypnotic melodies, reminiscent of the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
While the venue, a minimalistic industrial space, normally holds weddings and other events, the band turned it into a rock club with a towering amp stack, a crowd of young adults dressed in alternative fashion, and enough pedal boards scattered across the floor to be a tripping hazard.
As any indie fan knows, the more instrument cables on stage, the more interesting the sound you’ll hear—a belief this show certainly upheld.
The makeshift stage area sat on the same plane as the audience, an equal level that encapsulated the night’s feel of camaraderie.
Throughout the opening acts, the band members could be spotted among the crowd, talking to friends and cheering on their fellow musicians. The group seemed familiar with a large portion of the crowd, giving the concert the feel of a community gathering.
The show featured many of the band’s musician friends as openers, including bands Dino Gala and warmachine.
“There’s always something very special about playing the show with people that you care about as individuals, and also care about as artists,” said Kafi. “All of the other bands on the bill are just people that I really treasure in my life.”
In fact, a few of the band’s members played double duty as performers in the opening acts, including X on guitar in warmachine and Kessler on bass with Dino Gala.
Although the band released the EP in September, they have been performing many of its tracks since their first show.
Kafi and M formed the group in college. However, despite the musical force they would later become, the artistic collaboration between Kafi and M began casually, with the two friends simply wanting to play music together.
“It wasn’t originally supposed to be a band or anything,” said Kafi. “I had just kind of started getting into writing my own songs, and I am someone that needs to collaborate when working on music, so we just kind of started messing around.”
The musicians originally recorded the songs themselves before ultimately taking them to their friend and music producer, Nate Scaringi, to mix and master a more polished version.
“We’ve been working on this EP for so long that [the show] is kind of this finale, like it’s out in the world,” said Kafi.
From the bar’s signature drinks named after each band on the bill, to the supportive crowd of friends and fans, the band’s EP launch felt as much like a party as a rock show.
“I think everyone had a really great time and there was so much energy in the room, which was super special,” said Kafi.
