By Coley Alvis

On Easter Sunday in April, I was fortunate enough to go to my third Twiddle concert. I first heard the band Twiddle while I was at camp in the summer of 2017. I was laying in an eno hammock on the famous “Eno Hill” at Camp Rivers Bend when I first heard their song “When It Rains It Pours.” I immediately fell in love with the band. I asked my camp counselor what song he had just played. He told me it was a band named Twiddle. I immediately went to my bunk inside to write on a notecard the name of the band. Once I was back at home and could access the internet, I began listening to the band for hours. It reminded me of the classic rock my dad always plays. 

The band began in 2004. Ryan Dempsey, Mihali Savoulidis, Zdenek Gubb, and Brooks Jordan were all students at Castleton University in Vermont, where they met in an acting class. The band’s music is influenced by many genres, including rock, jazz, bluegrass, reggae, and funk, making them a special band to listen and watch. The band released their first debut album in 2007, titled The Natural Evolution of Consciousness. With their special talent, the band was well known quickly for their rave performances. In 2015, they released volume one of their two-part album titled Plump, Chapter One. In 2017 they released the second part, Plump, Chapter Two.  

Twiddle performing “Jamflowman.” Photo credit: Coley Alvis.

I remember the first Twiddle concert I went to with my classmate Hank Shield (‘23) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the summer of 2017. Our parents mentioned a band was playing at the Snow King Mountain Resort nearby. We didn’t think much of it but decided to go check out who was playing. Shield had no idea who it was, but the minute I heard who was playing, I knew it was Twiddle. I rushed through the crowd and made my way as close as I could to the stage. I was instantly amazed seeing lead singer Mihali Savoulidis play the guitar and Zdenek Gubb play the bass. It was the first concert I had been to with a band. I stayed and listened for the rest of the night. What made the concert special was hearing my now-favorite song, “When It Rains It Pours,” as the concluding song. After the concert, I went home and laid on my bed and listened to even more of the band’s music until I fell asleep. I had a blast seeing Twiddle, and I knew it wouldn’t be my last time. 

Since that time, I have seen Twiddle twice at The National in Richmond. The first time I went, they had performed amazing, and I had a great time, but the most recent show I went to was the most memorable. I was with my friend Brent Hailes (‘22) when he asked me if I wanted to go to a Twiddle concert the day before they played. Without hesitation, I bought a ticket and was thrilled to see them play the following day.

Andy Frasco being lifted into the air from his keyboard. Photo credit: John Wooton.

That night, my friends and I made our way down Broad Street. When I arrived, we first listened to the opening band, Andy Frasco & The UN. It was the first time I had heard them, but they had such great energy and were astounding to watch. Lead singer Frasco caught my attention in his first song when he jumped on the top of his piano as it lifted him up, with smoke coming out. I loved the band’s music, as it was very similar to Twiddle’s, and he was also very comical as he interacted with the audience. At one point in the concert, Frasco jumped into the crowd and made us gather into a circle as we listened to instrumental music and went around in circles. He was a great opening band, and we were fortunate to have seen him perform, as it was the last concert Twiddle and Andy Frasco & The UN would perform together on this tour. 

As Twiddle came out, the lights dimmed, making it completely dark on stage. Suddenly, the lights flashed back on as the band began freestyling with each other. When freestyling, you play out of pure feel, with no lyrics, no set notes, and no script. It involves a great deal of talent, and many musicians can’t pull it off. It amazed me as they did this for about twenty minutes until the beginning of their first song, “Stroganoff.”

One feature of the concert which made it more intriguing was the lighting. Each song was accompanied by a different light sequence that was in sync with the music and also involved beams of 3D light that surrounded the theater. It was almost indescribable. Some of my favorite songs Twiddle played were “Gatsby the Great,” “Lost In The Cold,” “Indigo Trigger,” and “Jamflowman.” I was excited when they played “Jamflowman,” as it is one of my favorite songs, and they did not play it at the last concert I went to. As they had concluded their last song, they invited Frasco’s band back up, and to my surprise, they were not finished. Because it was the last time they would be performing together, they decided to finish off with a slam, almost quite literally. They closed the show by playing a famous song called “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” by 1990s legendary grunge band Nirvana. It was an exciting ending, as the two bands simply just having fun together and showed how close they had become on that tour. They were running around the stage, playing different instruments, taking off shirts, jumping into the crowd, and were having a great time together. As the song finished, lead singer Savoulidis even smashed his guitar into the stage until it was broken into different pieces, and then proceeded to walk off stage.

All three of Twiddle’s concerts have been the time of my life. Their mix of music genres and improvisation make them truly entertaining to watch and listen to. Twiddle is a band I will listen and hold close to for the rest of my life.