A Thursday evening just like any other Thursday evening was occurring at Penn State last week. Intoxicated students stomped through the streets while others whiled away hours studying for midterms.
But something else was happening in a cozy, intimate setting in Waring Commons in West Halls, something many were not prepared for. A banjo, a ukulele, an accordion and other out-of-the-ordinary instruments rallied for an all-out folk-rock invasion. The band "Raise Up Roof Beams" began its set.
"I've never been to Penn State," Nathan Robinson, the lead vocalist and acoustic guitar player said right before the act, as a chattering audience brushed the comment off. Then the music began, and the energy emanating from the band soon quieted the crowd.
"Raise Up Roof Beams" is a Harrisburg-based band that evolved from the song-writings of Robinson while he was a sophomore at Messiah College. Though many members have come and gone, the band's core now consists of Robinson, Justin Arawjo, Harrison Gordner, Alan Carroll and Kelly Musser.
Arawjo might have the most eclectic role in the group, using instruments such as the mandolin, the banjo, the lap steel, the accordion, the melodica and some backup guitar. The other members are right behind him in terms of instrumental diversity, though. Robinson, on top of his vocals and acoustic guitar playing, also energizes the music with a harmonica. Gordner plays the drums, the marimba and other percussion while Carroll adds the keyboard element, and Musser plucks the string bass and complements Robinson with backup vocals.
"I picked up harmonica when I was living in Spain; I played on the street a lot," Robinson, slightly slouched in his chair, remarks after the show in another room. He studied abroad in Spain, and his harmonica playing drew the attention of many German tourists who would request Metallica and Rammstein covers.
"Rammstein is not harmonica music, unfortunately, so they did 'hast' me at times," Robinson adds -- immediately acknowledging the corniness of what he just said.
The band also acknowledged many of its influences, ranging from Bob Dylan to Bright Eyes, with a little bit of Ryan Adams and some blue grass in between. It all shows in their music.
Robinson's vocals can be said to have an interesting mix of the trembling-yet-powerful voice of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, and the hopeful passion heard from the voice of Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum.
The instruments and melodies that his voice overlays make "Raise Up Roof Beams" an oddly accessible folk-rock band. Maybe banjoes and accordions don't exactly appeal to the greater youth, but with "Raise Up Roof Beams" the blend of folk instruments makes for a compelling sound that isn't necessarily your traditional folk-rock.
"Labels aren't that great," Arawjo comments, referring to the band's folk-rock categorization, "but we are definitely influenced by folk and rock."
"We're whatever happens when folk and rock make babies," Carroll notes.
The band has recently released their first full-length album, "Fingers and Photons." The lyrics to all of the songs on the album greatly vary in concept, but one concept does underlie many of the tracks -- a concept that is almost universal in the music realm.
"Most of my songs are about ex-girlfriends," Robinson says.
Robinson is also in the army reserves, and notes the dichotomy the army creates in his life is present in some of his music. It is especially apparent in "Carried Away," a song in which Robinson hypothetically discusses being called to war, and questions if this looming, life-altering aspect of his life is worth it. In the song, he laments through questioning: "Didn't I have other plans than this? /...didn't we want to get married?/ wasn't I carried away every time I saw your smiling face?"
"All of the lyrics come out of personal experience and also from the books that I read," Robinson adds.
The band's actual name, "Raise Up Roof Beams," is a tribute to J.D. Salinger's novel "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters."
"The quote [from the book], 'Raise high the roof beams, carpenters' is about preparing for something wonderful that's going to happen and expectance," Robinson said.
And that's really what "Raise Up Roof Beams," is all about -- hope and community.
"We're really about making music about people ... and about sharing experiences with people in a very positive way -- we're all about community and how community encourages music," Gordner said.
In a small venue in Waring Commons in the remote setting of University Park, a Penn State audience got its chance to belong to that community.
