Sold Out Show: Escape Goats and Jagged Little Band
Sold Out Show: Escape Goats and Jagged Little Band
Local band sells out the pub
When was the last time a local band sold out the Iron Horse Pub on a non-holiday weekend? It was an event billed as 90s Night with a soundtrack supplied by Escape Goats and Jagged Little Band that compelled us to entertain the question. These two Wichita Falls bands (which are really just one all-star group of local musicians performing two different-but-related acts) brought the crowd out on a Friday night in early August, and it was shoulder-to-shoulder from the first songs of Jagged Little Band’s opening set, because this party was anticipated by all. They got there early.
Jagged Little Band is a tribute to Alanis Morisette and it would be an understatement to say that’s a draw. Singers Lelani Lei and Melissa Oden Williams’ offered chill-inducing harmonies, and the women in the crowd went nuts singing along with JLB’s two charismatic alternative choir leaders. Lelani even adopts Alanis’ persona for the set, including Morissette’s signature wardrobe choice, the long white button-up and choker necklace. The band is rounded out by Clint Vines on guitar and vocals, bassist Jacob Seigler, Jaymes Jager on lead guitar and vocals, and Robert Williams on drums. We’re hard-pressed to name another local group that boasts such a breadth of talent.
If you need any other evidence of their ability to entertain an audience with non-stop Alanis, just attend a JLB gig and watch the venue come apart when they play You Oughta Know.
Headliner Escape Goats played next, and they are made up of the same musicians as Jagged Little Band, but with an altered setlist that includes all the best mainstream radio rock from the turn-of-the-millennium era. It’s a singalong party that includes extra-curricular activities and fun.
Escape Goats invites their fans to put song requests in a bucket, and if they play your song, you get a t-shirt. At this gig, the Goats entertained a concertgoer’s request for “Where the River Flows” by Collective Soul. Lelani called out the winner’s name from the stage, and the winner raised her hand, about 25 yards back in the room. Lei said “I owe you some merch,” and raised a t-shirt so the winner could see it, then threw a perfect 25-yard touch pass that the winner caught with one hand.
The whole night went just like that.
We’ve seen Escape Goats before and our previous observations still hold: They are getting better with each performance. They’re approaching the kind of skill and professionalism that commands big dollars in larger markets. Escape Goats is ready to take it to the next level.
Have you seen Jagged Little Band or Escape Goats? Tell us about it in the comments.
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