As I’ve written before, I try to go to arts events with no prior knowledge or expectations. I like being surprised and I feel that it gives me a perspective that readers can relate to. But even I have preconceived notions sometimes, and having those expectations shattered can be a wonderful experience as well.
That’s what happened when I visited Arch Street Tavern on a Wednesday night to see the band BooYah perform. It was ’90s Night, so all the music came from the decade of Y2K. I was ready to hear some comfortable favorites: Puff Daddy and Biggie, Wu-Tang, some West Coast stuff. You know, the regular hip-hop hits of that era.
Imagine my surprise then when the band began playing a rock song I’d never heard before. It was catchy, but the reverb inside the space made it hard for me to hear the lyrics. What was I listening to?
Either way, BooYah’s take on the unfamiliar classic was impressive. The seven-member band is a spinoff from West End Blend. I spoke with Mike Bafundo, who performed on vocals and trumpet. He told me that BooYah started as a way to have a regular gig eight and a half years ago.
“We’ve been playing so long together that it’s kind of a real band now,” he explained while laughing. “It’s been great to watch this community grow over eight years and get to know the people who come and see us perform. Our running joke is that so many relationships have begun and ended because of BooYah.”
The second song of the set was “Macarena,” rock band style. If unexpected, it was at least familiar. Thankfully, by then a couple of friends had arrived who helped me identify the rest of the songs I was hearing. There was “Virtual Insanity” by Jamaroqui, “Smooth” by Santana and Rob Thomas, “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit, “No Rain” by Blind Melon, and more. I was shocked to learn that there had been music other than hip hop and R&B made in the ’90s!
I’m being serious. Hip hop dominated my life in the ’90s. Of course I loved the music, but I also was enthralled by the drama and the personalities. It was an age of feuds, classic albums, and emerging superstars. Hip hop consumed all of my energy. I was in my 20s before I started listening to classic rock.
BooYah’s set introduced me to a new world of music. I know next to nothing about ’90s rock, and I was honestly disoriented at first. That feeling wore off quickly, and I sat back and allowed myself to enjoy one of the simplest but most profound pleasures: the first time you hear a song you like. The award for that moment goes to BooYah’s rendition of “Around the World” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The second half of BooYah’s set included more songs I was familiar with, such as “What is Love” by Haddoway and a fun version of “Pony” by Ginuwine. Now though, I was yearning for the new and unfamiliar sounds that I’d been introduced to. I went to Arch Street expecting old favorites, and left the evening with new ones.
BooYah performs every Wednesday at Arch Street Tavern. August 16 is 2000s Night.
NEXT: Jamil travels to the faraway land of Boston to rock out with his son at the Mega-Monsters Tour.
