Nashville - 12^th and Porter was packed on the night of Monday, March 10. Three bands were set to play, but it’s as if the entire crowd had shown up for the second group in the lineup. Displaying a name that is questionable in terms of pronunciation, Oberhofer marched onto the stage looking like a rag tag group of bandits. One looked like a hipster you’d find in a coffee shop; another looked like he was raised listening to The Clash and Sex Pistols. Others looked like the poster hippy kids for Bonnaroo. It was an amazing mix of musicians, and it intrigued everyone. What sort of music would they play? What could so many different people bring to one plate?

Oberhofer is the equivalent of eating a steak after being a vegetarian for a year. They’re a shock to the system. I don’t mean that their music is weird or bad or strange – the music, classified as “coincidence pop” (which is a new genre for me), is easily likeable and encourages an immediate love for the five piece band, made up of Brad Oberhofer, Matt Scheiner, Dylan Treleven, Ben Roth, and Pete Sustarsic. The songs are never quite the same – there are some that are straight up pop while others convey a more punk rock, Ramones sort of influence. This mix of music makes it so that Oberhofer appeals to the masses – it doesn’t matter what sort of music you enjoy, without a doubt you will be able to find at least one song of theirs that you want to listen to on repeat.

Despite some sound issues at the beginning of the performance, Oberhofer played through them like champs and quickly worked to rid all of our memories of the momentary system problems.  This group has a way of restarting your heart by lulling you in to a false calm with the use of a xylophone (something I’ve never seen onstage before) before shocking you to the core with a sudden explosion of sound that almost electrocutes your heart. If that isn’t enough to encourage you to move, the lead singer’s outrageous antics of throwing himself around the stage like a spider monkey should be infectious enough to do the trick.

The greatest moment, in my opinion, is when the lead singer/guitarist leapt from the stage and sprinted for the back door, bursting outside for a moment – all while still playing. (Thank you, wireless sound systems). I had never seen anyone be so bold, so sure that he owned the place. While I am all for the humble personalities, sometimes it can be refreshing to see someone let go and realize that for one night they are in control. It makes for an interesting show and encourages me to want to go see Oberhofer again not just for the music, but also to see what crazy antics will happen next.

Oberhofer is currently on tour and will be appearing next at SXSW.