“This is our first time headlining the Drake,” Grand View Point’s lead singer, Ryan Cobbett, said as an enthusiastic crowd cheered for the accomplishment.
Armed with a white Fender guitar and some pedals, Cobbett smiled from the crowd’s applause. He and his bandmates had been playing a mix of original songs and covers for about 45 minutes at that point and would continue to capture the crowd with many more.
Grand View Point headlined the Drake on Saturday, Feb. 21. Sponsored by Local Mojo, they are a four-piece indie rock band from Massachusetts, consisting of Cobbett on lead vocals, Will Finaldi on lead guitar, George Crichfield on bass and Ryan Kaplan on drums. They currently have two songs on streaming platforms, “This Time” and “You & I,” and will play at Mojofest in Amherst on April 25.
Opening for Grand View Point was Northbound, a Deadhead-style jam band from Amherst. They played covers of popular Grateful Dead songs such as “Sugaree” and The Doors’ song “Light My Fire.” Their solo style is blues-oriented, but with the obvious psychedelic tint of a Deadhead band. Their lead guitarist played several notable solos and their keyboardist’s style greatly influenced the band’s live sound.
Northbound’s act was well-received by the crowd, who particularly enjoyed the more improvisational sections, as well as the “Light My Fire” cover, which had people singing along to the well-known chorus. They recently released their first-ever single on streaming platforms, “Deadman’s Sun,” a western-inspired rock tune reminiscent of the Grateful Dead and Johnny Cash, among others.
Then came Grand View Point. While they played mostly covers, each song was met with great enthusiasm from the crowd.
Grand View Point played a few songs by The Backseat Lovers, including “Sinking Ship” and “Pool House.” Cobbett noted that “Pool House” was the first song Grand View Point ever learned as a band, showing the influence The Backseat Lovers has had on the band’s overall sound. That influence can be heard most clearly in the band’s guitar tone, which is almost identical to the tone used by The Backseat Lovers and other indie rock bands.
Another clear influence on the band, especially made evident through Cobbett’s vocal style, is Kings of Leon. The Southern rock band is known for their energetic, emotionally charged songs and for lead singer Caleb Followill’s raspy and animated singing style. The band performed a cover of Kings of Leon’s hit “Sex on Fire” and the response from the crowd was immediate. Cheers and shouts started as soon as the first riff was played, and the energy stayed high for the entire cover. It was perhaps the highlight of the show.
The band went on to perform their original songs, including “This Time” and “You and I,” . Afterwards came covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon,” The Strokes’ “Someday” and Houndmouth’s “Sedona.”
After they closed their set, the band thanked the audience. The engaged crowd started to cheer, clamoring for “one more song,” and the band felt obliged to play one more. They played “Freaks” by Surf Curse, a pandemic-era staple that blew up in the early days of TikTok. There is nostalgia attached to that song for many, and so the choice to end their set with it was popular with the crowd.
With the support of Local Mojo, who has brought local and often student-run bands to the forefront in recent years, Grand View Point and Northbound both put on a memorable show that highlighted the Pioneer Valley’s homegrown rock talents.
Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso can be reached at [email protected].
