As I prepared to see Unhinged for the first time, I asked around a bit and nearly everyone told me I should expect a great band and performance, and they were absolutely right. Wichita Falls’ Unhinged is a cover band made up of seasoned entertainers, and it shows in their performances.
Unhinged is comprised of Chris Whalen on vocals, Jaymes Jager on lead guitar, Ken Nelson on bass, and Jessie Brashear on drums. Each of them adds their own element to the band to make an impressive whole.
An audience member told me she was impressed with Chris’ command of the stage and his presence as an entertainer, and I wholeheartedly agree. Chris has a background as a radio and club deejay I’m told, and his comfort in front of a crowd is obvious.
Whalen’s skill as a vocalist is an impressive attribute as well, considering Unhinged surprises their audience with somewhat unexpected rock covers of traditional pop songs. I heard the band perform rocked-up versions of Go West’s “King of Wishful Thinking,” “Your Love” by the Outfield, and Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night.” When necessary, Chris dove into a falsetto that served the performance well and made the show a good choice for date night.
Local resident shredder Jaymes Jager (also of Dirt, Escape Goats, and Jagged Little Band,) gave an integral performance, especially on the aforementioned pop numbers, each of which had the heat turned up a bit and substituted Jager’s guitar for keys. You can count on a great performance from Jaymes Jager whenever you see him with one of his 17 bands.
Ken Nelson is well-known on the local music scene as a member of the Ken Nelson Trio, a jazz combo that performs regularly at local wineries and coffee shops, but this show was a more hard-edged performance for Ken, and he was up to the task. Ken was ever-present on backing vocals all night, and frequently turned to face drummer Jessie Brashear as he cemented the groove on his six-string bass.
Brashear kept time confidently in a Deftones t-shirt, and sometimes appeared to be surprised I was taking his photo. After the performance he put-in on this night, it won’t be the last time he’ll be in my viewfinder.
Unhinged performed on the same bill with Brass Skulls and it made for an incredible night of entertainment. I agreed with several others in the crowd who would love to see the two of them on a bill together again in the future.
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