The lights were dim and the air was stagnant. Students, locals and out-of-town guests packed the bar area, trying to get a drink before the show began. There was a buzz in the air as the crowd sat in anticipation, waiting for the band to take stage.
Approximately 100 people crammed into the Acoustic Cafe; in Bridgeport Friday night to support Fairfield students John Capogna ’09 and Dan Vaughan ’09.
Find out mor about the Dan Vaughan and listen to his music at his myspace page.
“It was like a frat house that [Friday] night; you couldn’t move, it was packed,” said Vaughan, a member of Dan Vaughan and Permanent Daylight. The performance marked his third at the Acoustic Café since he first arrived in Fairfield. “Jaime’s Smile definitely got everyone pumped up. Everyone liked their music, so that translated well into a good night overall.”
For Capogna and Jaime’s Smile, Friday night marked their first show in Connecticut. The band did not disappoint with its eclectic mix of pop-rock, punk, ska, emo and metal at the sold-out venue.
“What’s up everybody, we are Jaime’s Smile,” guitarist and lead singer Nick Santini declared before starting the show with “House Mouse,” a song from the album “The Fearful and the Wonderful,” which is expected to be released sometime in April.
“It’s the perfect song to call the single off the album,” Capogna said. “It’s high energy with a heavy break, but it’s also got the chorus that will stay in your head all day.”
A collection of fans crowded the front of the stage, feeding off of the band’s energy. The ska/reggae jam “Typical Night,” in particular, seemed to speak to the mostly 20-something-year-old crowd, as Santini incited the crowd to chant “hey” along with the chorus.
“We can get louder than that,” he called out to the already humming crowd.
Audience members, especially Fairfield students, danced, sang along and called out Capogna’s name from their seats.
His band even got into it, with Santini yelling, “Let’s hear it for John.”
It was a testament to the strong Fairfield support both students received.
“Jaime’s Smile conveyed a lot of energy with John Capogna throwing down some gnarly grooves,” said Ryan Del Vechio ’09. “I danced my ass off to the jam band songs of Dan Vaughan.”
Vaughan opened up his set with “December’s Broke and Beautiful,” crooning on the guitar in a light, Jack Johnson/Dave Matthews Band-type jam.
He and his band concluded their set with “Here’s to You,” a melodically charged song about love and love lost, before doing a rousing rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Along the Watchtower” as an encore.
After releasing his first album “Here’s to You” two years ago, he is now looking to take the next step in his music career while working on a new CD.
“We’re trying to scrape up enough money to put out our CD,” said Vaughan.
He said that there may be an opportunity to work with a well-known, respected producer. However, he said he did not wish to reveal the name before anything is finalized.
What is next for Jaime’s Smile now that they’ve played Fairfield? Besides releasing its first EP together, a return engagement to Fairfield, according to Capogna.
“We’re going to play the Stagstock up at the townhouses,” he said. “It’s like a ’60s thing. We’re going to play our set with a couple covers, maybe we’ll cover some Cream or some Hendrix and put a little punk edge to it.”
The show, as Vaughan put it, wasn’t just Fairfield friends showing up out of obligation.
“People were generally feeling the music from both bands,” he said. “They came there for the music; it wasn’t just a social scene.”
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