Claire Reynolds
Proud Larry’s hosted the final show of alt-country group Fust’s “Southwest Passage” spring tour. On Tuesday, March 19, the Durham, N.C.-based group followed an opening performance at 7 p.m. by Small Trucks, a Mississippi-based folk rock band.
Composed of multiple artists who have their own musical projects in the works, Fust is held together by its members’ relationships. Some span more than a decade.
“I think recently on this tour, we have had disparate, different people say that we sound like we are friends. I think if that is remembered in any way, we succeeded alongside these other goals of songwriting, recording and contributing to the tradition,” Avery Sullivan, Fust’s drummer, said.
The band’s camaraderie was evident to some in the audience, including junior art history major Brennan McInnis.
“I could tell that Fust genuinely enjoyed playing music and that they have good relationships with each other,” McInnis said. “They were cracking jokes, smiling at each other during songs and kept good attitudes.”
While some members of the crowd were new to the band, others knew the intricacies of the artists’ works.
“I knew about Fust a little bit beforehand. My friend Thomas played a show recently with them in New Orleans, and I am familiar with the keyboard player who has a record label called Dear Life Records. They have been putting out a bunch of good records, so it is kind of a funny combination of North Carolina people who play in different bands, and that’s cool,” concert attendee Graham Hamaker from Starkville, Miss., said.
Before Fust took the stage, group Small Trucks serenaded the Proud Larry’s audience.
Daniel Splaingard, the lead singer of Small Trucks, spent the evening playing from his album “Moon Burn.” The intimate atmosphere of the venue allowed the audience to connect with Splaingard as they laughed at his jokes between songs and were enthralled by his stories, particularly the one surrounding his piece “Blue Heron.”
“Small Trucks was very mellow and low-key. The lead singer was also very personable,” McInnis said. “Not only was his demeanor comforting, but the band’s songs were comforting, too. I would want to play them while driving with my windows down on a summer evening.”
The Small Trucks set led directly into Fust’s, who wrapped up the show by playing their current most popular song on Spotify: “Violent Jubilee.” The overall emotion Fust felt toward the audience was gratitude.
“We are very proud to play at Proud Larry’s. We love this town. Just seeing all of the bands on the walls, it is a very special thing. Thanks for having us,” Aaron Dowdy, the frontman of Fust, said.
