Octopus Project Electrifies Lubbock

Jon Seaborn, staff writer 

Friday April 7^th The Octopus ruled Jake’s Backroom, and if I may say so it was the best show Lubbock has ever seen. If you weren’t there, then you should, I repeat, you should, be hitting yourself in the head right about now.

The Octopus Project, a dance-based, progressive-punk band out of Austin, started in 1999 and is still going strong. Their music is full of progressive-rock guitar, drums, dance loops and keyboards.

The members of the band include Toto Miranda, Yvonne Lambert, Josh Lambert, and Brandon Durham. Each member plays almost everything. During the entire set, each band member would shift from instrument to instrument, playing each with an unbelievable sound. They are a completely instrumental band, which can be a little boring, but not with these guys. It was non-stop, in-your-face rocking the whole time.

I have been to many shows in Lubbock, but none quite like this one. There must have been more than 200 people there, and every person was dancing. It was the first Lubbock show that the crowd was completely involved with the performance. It was quite rare.

They played for about an hour, with songs ranging from “Music is Happiness” to “Tuxedo Hat.” The set was too good to put into words. The only thing I can really say about it is that it was awesome.

Everything about this show was just right. Everything clicked, and the band was equally as involved with the crowd as the crowd was with them. During the final song, they asked the crowd to dance with them on stage. This was a perfect way to end the show with a bang.

They even let me sit down with them for a quick Q&A during which I found out that they are “just doing this for fun and love just to be able to play” Josh told me and that “I (Josh) just go blank and think about nothing. One minute I’m picking up my guitar, and the next I’m done.” I also asked what they thought about Lubbock “We love it!  Everyone here has been so nice, and the show was great.”

 So, overall, this may have been the single greatest show to ever have hit the streets of our fair Lubbock. The only thing that anyone could complain about is just not being there.