P. D. Kelley

I have never been to a Floater concert and I finally got the opportunity to see what some call one of the best ever alternative rock bands last Friday, September 28th. They have been to the Rogue a number of times and seem to have a wildly devoted fan base here in the Northwest. They actually have been voted Oregon’s Favorite Band and were inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame last year. I was sitting between two Floater fans, one my guest for the evening and another who informed me somewhat feverishly that he had been following the band since its 25 year inception and had seen them in concert more than 30 times. He was typical of the crowd that evening: enthusiastic, boisterous but not out of hand and fun to watch. Even the mosh pit wasn’t as wild as I’ve seen elsewhere. Just lots of hopping and bopping with an occasional body slam, but folks were mostly focused on the musicians on stage. Rob Wynia on bass was a tall, commanding presence and he provided the only vocals. He has a perfect voice for a rocker, alternating between raw energy shouts and strong but melodious singing. Oh, and he plays a mighty fine bass. Lead guitarist Dave Amador is not flashy but is a strong talent. He and Wynia have been playing together for a quarter century and it shows. Drummer Mark Powers replaced founding member Pete Cornett last year and he more than fills the bill. He’s got a great kit and he was a whirlwind this evening, providing a driving, hard hitting beat that had everyone on the move. It’s hard to put this group into one genre. Certainly they qualify for hard rock and roll but there seemed to be metal, grunge and psychedelic elements as well. I read, and my concert mates confirmed, that the group will often do one concert with electronic instruments (as it was this night) and the next concert will be all acoustic. I have a feeling I sampled only a bit of what Floater is capable of. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a problem with the sound and there was too much reverb on occasion. At times the lyrics were blurred although what ones I did hear were edgy, sometimes defiant, and mostly compelling. I definitely want to hear more from these guys so I plan to buy a CD, watch some YouTube, and be in the front row balcony when they come again. Catch you on the flip side…