The Yam Haus sold out show at the Fine Line looked like a high school dance Friday night. Lots of young people, lots of energy, lots of googly eyes for the band. And the boys of Yam Haus said challenge accepted. My favorite line of the night from lead singer Lars Pruitt, “People think we’re just a boy band and they’re absolutely right!” And then they played Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA. Awesome – way to own it.
It is unabashedly pop but the band holds the attention of the audience. They beep, the audience bops back. Everyone in the audience knows every word of every song. They sway, jump and punch the air in unison.
The show starts off with a bang – literally the drum solo leading up to Get Somehwere. It is a catchy song. The chorus is easy to sing. It’s very dance worthy.
The messages of the songs are positive. The beat is uplifting. I saw plenty of parents (OK, moms) in the crowd who seemed to know all of the words of the songs too. The band members seem kind and genuine. They thanked just about everyone in the building and brought up one girl to sing her happy birthday. What more could you want at 19?
There’s a hint of Minneapolis funk in Carry Me Home. And a hint of Cold Play in Right Now Forever – a song made to get the parents slow dancing I’m sure. Between songs I heard some Everybody Dance Now – and I swear I heard Summer Loving from Grease. But what this tells me is that this is a band that’s done their homework. It’s not accident that their songs work. They have looked at pop from the ages and they are rebranding it for today’s audience.
Mostly Minnesota 