New Mountain Asheville hosted The Nth Power and Dopapod last Thursday, December 10th. This show was by far a new favorite performance I've seen at this venue. New Mountain was packed with a full house and the crowd was amiable and for a lack of better terms “lit” with excitement and groove. After racing down the mountain, I was just excited to catch the tail end of The Nth Power. They soulfully finished with Only You.
It was my first time seeing the Nth Power and certainly a treat to hear them play music off their newest album, Abundance. Powerhouse drummer Nikki Glaspie of Dumpstaphunk led the percussion section of the band and it was incredible to watch that woman work–holy shit. Other members of the band included vocalist/guitarist Nick Cassarino, bassist Nate Edgar, West African drummer Weedie Braimah, and keyboardist/singer Courtney “Jay-Mel” Smith. It was impressive to say the least. I could not have asked for a better opener. Check out the Nth Power Tour Sampler here. Members from the Nth Power were awesome and hung out around the Merch area after performing to meet attendees and fans.
Headliners, Dopapod, completely blew me out off the water. Throughout their set I couldn't help but wear a shit munching grin, constantly dancing (flailing really but who's watching anyway). Keyboardist, Eli Winderman, guitar Rob Compa, bassist Chuck Jones, and percussionist Scotty Zwang form this progressive rock and dance band. Moreover, their sound is dynamic and it's definitely apparent in their latest album Never Odd or Even which I heard live for the first time at this show. This album has displayed a refined sound in Dopapod's style paying specific attention to elements like melody, theme, lyrical imagery, and structure. Listen to it here. If you didn't catch Dopapod at New Mountain I suggest you catch them on New Years. Information about the rest of their tour and their New Years banger can be found here.
