GALLERY + REVIEW: NODES

Words and photos: Jack Foley

Nodes is unlike any band currently performing in and around the Columbus, OH area. My first experience live with the band was at Café Bourbon Street here in Columbus. The band gets on stage and is joined by an individual sitting amongst the seemingly infinite cables and effects pedals attempting to solve a Rubik’s cube, which was unsuccessful. After further prying, what I thought was a performance art inclusion of sorts was just a last-minute addition to the experience because why not? I rarely get chills from live music, but the experience, even in such a small setting, was incredible.

I, as a stone-cold sober attendee, found myself moved by what I listened to. The droning swirls of feedback and reverb are drenched in a warm fuzz and take you on a trip accompanied by ambient marimba and synth. The septet takes experimentalism and progressivism seriously. Many self-described “experimental” acts lack true artistic direction; it feels like someone is holding them at gunpoint telling them to be different. Nodes tells a story with sound in a manner that is cathartic to the listener; it feels like experiencing nostalgia for a memory you do not own, yet you feel at home in this sea of sound.

The group has performed a handful of shows at bars around Columbus, and following their latest show at Cafe Bourbon Street, the group will be working on writing their next release for the coming months. If their trajectory is anything adjacent to their current and previous work, it is sure to be an experience. I highly recommend going to see Nodes when they emerge from the studio with more work—I promise you will not be disappointed by their music or performance.