‘JEFF’ and ‘Demon Beat’ owned at 123

Thanks to the effort of WVU's college radio station, U92-FM, JEFF the Brotherhood owned the stage Wednesday night along with their opener, The Demon Beat, at 123 Pleasant Street.

When a band claims to "bleed their emotions," they are generally speaking metaphorically.

In the case of Shepherdstown, W.Va., garage-rock band The Demon Beat, this claim could not be more literal.

Filled with energy and emotion, The Demon Beat singer/guitarist Adam Meisterhans was performing a signature "windmill" stage move when he opened up a cut on his right hand. The result? Quite literally a display of the blood, sweat but no tears put into the performance.

Passion defined The Demon Beat's performance on Wednesday. They were on stage playing from their hearts and souls, the music spilling out as an endless stream of raw enthusiasm and considerable talent.

This zeal was clearly captured by the crowd as well as a near frenzy broke out near the end of the set, the floor of 123 becoming a swirling pit of flying, pushing and shoving bodies.

It was exactly as one would want an indie rock concert to be: rowdy, brotherly, and, most of all, incredibly enjoyable.

Local Morgantown resident Blake Willard said, "I've been to metal shows that weren't that crazy. That was insanity!"

The stage was still smoldering when headlining Nashville duo JEFF the Brotherhood addressed the raucous 123 crowd.

From their straggly hair to their vintage amplifiers, to their custom three-string acrylic guitar, nothing about JEFF the Brotherhood appeared conventional – and it wasn't.

Freshman Derek Blankenship, a Wheeling, W.Va., native who was attending his second JEFF the Brotherhood show this month, said the show would be "unreal."

"You're definitely going to get your ten dollars' worth," Blankenship said.

The crowd at 123 certainly agreed with him. From the first few seconds of their opening song, the crowd was on its feet, jumping, moshing and crowd surfing in appreciation of JEFF the Brotherhood's sonic vibes.

The pair was on-point throughout the night and the energy never stopped, nor did the bodies in the pit.

JEFF the Brotherhood's show was characterized by driving drum beats and ambient guitar sounds that seemed unreal and otherworldly.

Jake and Jamin Orrall displayed fantastic chemistry on stage and were able to let their vigor spill into the crowd, where it was eagerly consumed by all in attendance.

Before the show, junior recreation parks and tourism major Kyle Simons chose JEFF's show to be his first experience at 123 Pleasant Street.

"I read the article and thought they'd be cool to check out," said Simons. "I listened to their Myspace and knew it was a show I was interested in."

It's safe to say Simons, along with all of the other occupants of 123 Pleasant Street, made a good decision.

123 was an energy-filled house of music lovers, all fueled by the intense passion and skillful musical execution of The Demon Beat and JEFF the Brotherhood.