Adam and the Weight & Slow Car Crash

In his return to Chico, Omarr Escoffie, now the bass player for Adam and the Weight, played a short set of Slow Car Crash material to a warm, receptive and familiar crowd. Escoffie played the first two songs solo, sitting on a stool at the mic with only his guitar, but it wasn't long before he was joined by other musicians who had worked with him in Slow Car Crash. For the third song, he called up two female vocalists to the stage, including his regular collaborator, Christina Brown, and for old time's sake, Paige Holmes. Both sang backup for the remainder of the set. Toward the end, Omarr also invited cellist Mehdi Belahbib up for the final two songs. The music was passionate, filled with a lot of heart and soul, and moving boy / girl harmonies, especially on "All You Need" and a mellow, after-hours groove. Though I had heard that Slow Car Crash featured some pretty elaborate stage shows in the past, which would have been nice to see, I thought the stripped-down arrangement lent an intimacy to the songs. Escoffie and company closed off the set with a rousing cover of the classic Marvin Gaye tune, "Let's Get It On." It was a wonderful performance, and what seemed to be a special one for both Slow Car Crash and the people gathered to see it.
After just enough time for me to bum a smoke outside, Escoffie was joined on stage by his new band, Adam and the Weight. Led by singer / songwriter Adam Kowalczyk, the band carried a decidedly different sound than the opening act - mid-tempo, guitar-driven, alternative rock. Though all four members have impressive résumés, they haven't been together all that long, and I was impressed by how tight they sounded. Adam and the Weight have a fluid, professional, perhaps radio-friendly sound, but that doesn't mean that they lacked feeling. Kowalcyzk's vocals were strong - his voice commanded attention and had excellent staying power as he belted out longer, sustained notes. The band behind him kept the pace with guitarist Michael Anderson adding clever riffs and sharp leads over Kowalczyk's chords and the rhythm section of drummer Brentt Arcement and Escoffie kept the low-end sounding fat. "Come Undone," the band's finale, was possibly the highlight of the set thanks to its soft, quiet verses building into satisfying, emphatic choruses.
- James Barone
- Photos by Matt Beier

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