KOJI - 2.26 @ The Macbeth

Nothing is more awkward an uncomfortable than a diva musician who gets pissed and stops the set during a show when his equipment malfunctions or when the crowd is talking over one of his songs. That’s why this was the perfect show for Koji to play: he’s so positive that if any mishaps were to happen, he’s the only one who could handle them with grace and actually pull something incredible (miraculous, even) out of a shitty show like that.

This place reminded me a lot of Great Scott (Allston, MA), when I saw Owen there a little over a year ago. The people come to the show for the musician, and the people come to the bar for the drinks. So you have this mix of people there for the music and there who don’t give a shit, and the latter are those who hang around the back and drunkenly talk way louder than is necessary to talk over a guy with a guitar. The problem was that the What Ever Happened to P-Rock show was more about the TBS/Brand New/Fireworks crowd (Koji opened for Such Gold and Starters who consequently started a moshpit in the middle of a tiny bar where any crowd surfer could have lept to his fate in a case of beer), so most were ready to thrash out, not mellow out.

In the middle of his second song Koji’s feedback was getting a little out of control so he had to fix that. No worries. But after getting a little frustrated with everyone talking in the back, he said "fuck it" and got off his mic to sing an unplugged set. None of that MTV Unplugged shit, but literally no mic, no feedback, no electricity, just him and a guitar and his voice. This felt more like a street performance, one where a crowd had gathered to watch a guy who actually sounds pretty damn good while the passersby who -- are oblivious to what’s right in front of them -- continue about their day in the background. Besides talent, Koji is just a genuinely nice person. Someone back in the bar yelled “shut up” to everyone talking, an Koji quickly shut him down, because, as he put it, he’s just happy and excited that people have come to the bar with friends and have something to say to them and something to talk about. We all pulled in close to hear, but about 4 songs in he decided to go up to the roof to finish his set.

We all go up in the cold to hear him play, a few covers (including his best, Dylan's "Wagon Wheel") and a song off the Into It/Over It split that he’s only played twice (now thrice) for an audience. He brought the crowd together to sing a few choruses, encouraging even the worst singers who didn’t know the words and had no sense of pitch. “We’re gonna shout it from the rooftops ‘cause holy shit that’s a cool thing to do.” Yes, Koji, yes it was.