Singer/songwriter and live loop artist Eems wowed his audience when he performed in the Jackson Conference Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The hour-long concert was organized by the Trojan Activities Board.
Eems, the self-proclaimed “black guy with an ukulele,” is known for his covers, beatboxing and live loop content. His style of music involves playing just one element of a song and setting it to loop constantly, slowly adding more loops until he has a fully developed song.
The wood-paneled stage was backdropped with a pair of black curtains and string lights. There was a set-up in the middle of the stage made up of sound equipment, keyboard, ukulele, foot pedals and a standing microphone.
Eems, wearing a black sweatshirt and a pair of headphones over a backwards baseball hat, opened by asking the audience if they knew what looping was. Upon receiving blank stares from the audience, he began playing his song “Unbreakable” to show off how it worked.
He used beatboxing and the synthesizer on his keyboard to set the beat, then started playing a melody. Once all the backing loops were built, he began singing. He set his own vocals on a loop and harmonized with them, turning himself into a one-man choir. He would start and stop loops to change the pacing of the song or develop different melodies.
“I grew up in a music family,” Eems said after the first song. “I used to think I’d be a rapper… but I like being different.”
His second song was “Closed Doors,” a love song about growing old together, dedicated to a couple in the crowd.
For his third song, Eems chose a volunteer, Rachael Hendrickson, to perform with him, then asked the audience for words to use. Picking randomly, students gave three words: space, elasticity, and zamboni. He used them to create backing vocals for Hendrickson while she rapped surprisingly well about the pressure of performing on stage.
Next was a cover of “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes, followed by an improvised campus song complete with insults about Edmonds Community College’s mascot, the Triton. The final song of the concert was a cover of T-Pain’s “I’m Sprung,” in his unique style.
Eems’ style worked well in a live environment. The act of building up each part of the song, the beat, melody and harmonies, was a spectacle to behold.
The timing required to start and stop each loop in time with the rhythm was impressive. Including the audience was a great touch. It kept them engaged and thinking about how he makes music.
His pacing was also great, stopping loops to create personal moments or making new ones to build up momentum, all of it was exhilarating. If you couldn’t make it, you really missed out.
This performance is only one stop on his tour of 18 colleges across the country, which started in South Carolina and will end in New Mexico. Check out Eems’ Spotify, Youtube and Instagram accounts to hear his music for yourself!
