Some bands find their place in the college music scene; they have their devoted, occasionally sober fans who follow them anywhere, but more often need only head over to the campus auditorium to see them play. The two-night show at 9:30 Club last weekend was comprised of bands such as these, headlined by the Virgina Coalition, or VaCo as the kids like to say. But we didn’t quite “feel like gettin’ it on” Friday night with the self-indugent headliners, more well-known for being a guaranteed provider of all that is “party” to their loyal fans. Nor did we like our local rock spiced up with blue blazers and bongos courtesy of Maryland’s Lloyd Dobler Effect, who possess a cheese factor worthy of having their own sitcom on the Disney Channel. What we came for instead was four guys from Providence, Rhode Island who ventured out of their Northeastern fan base to bring their unique, violin-driven madness to be the tasty meat in an otherwise stale sandwich. Even if they didn’t impress all the young Virginian attendees who crossed the river for VaCo or LDE, Zox at least got our attention.

From the darkness, Ratatat emanated from the speakers as they came out onto the stage, Eli Miller on lead vocals, Dan Edinberg on bass, Spencer Swain on violin, and John Zox, whom the band was named after, on drums. Their mix of reggae, rock, and punk includes a variety of songs from slow ballads to indie/brit drum beats. With two full-length albums, most of their set on Friday consisted of tracks off their latest release, The Wait. They opened with “A Little More Time”, with its clear reggae-influenced beats and vocals, and the upbeat single "Can't Look Down". While it wasn’t quite enough to get everyone moving, the band members were all over the stage, especially Swain.

It isn’t too often you see a violin on stage at a rock concert. Dave Matthews Band comes to mind, but Spencer Swain is more like Boyd Tinsley on crystal meth. Standing at the left of the stage and occasionally sliding front and center, his fingers moved across the neck of the instrument with amazing skill and speed. Concert goers watched up in awe as the hairs of his bow and the strings on the violin snapped over and over during the show. While it may be the drummer who gives them their name, it is Swain who gives them a leg up on the rest in terms of style. Perhaps his greatest moment was at the end of “Spades”, when the rest of the band took a short break as he went off into a wild, animated solo number that garnered hefty applause.

They broke up their short set with a song that’s already been covered several times, but Zox managed to do justice to the Buzzcock’s “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've Fallen in Love With)”. It was a faster version highlighted by the addition of Edinberg’s vocals. “Ode to the Mountain Pirates” was the only song performed off of their first album, Take Me Home, despite constant cries for the classical remix, “Cannon”. Zox got a chance on the mic with his rendition of The Beatles' “Her Majesty” near the top of the set, and front man Miller took the spotlight, literally, in the much more mellow and acoustic “Anything But Fine”, when everyone else left the stage and gradually made their way back. They all did their thing, and they did it well.

The band finished the night with “Carolyn”, and sadly no encore, as they were not headlining the show. But they did annouce that Zox will be returning to D.C. in November to the Black Cat. This might promise a longer set and even more of Swain’s stage antics, like working his fiddle in the middle of the audience at the end of the final song. Zox left their mark on the 9:30 Club, and maybe soon they’ll triumph where LDE and VaCo fall short, expanding their fan base to regions outside the vicinity of their home.

Photo from ZoxBand.com