When getting plugged in to the scene in your city, you start to see just how interconnected many of the musicians are. One of those super connected people is Jason Turner, a friend of Columbus scene mainstays Heather Evans and The Castros. Now, he and a few of his friends have formed a band quirkily dubbed Fashion Week. One of these guys had the opportunity to open for worship collective Gungor back in October (there’s your shout-out, Josh!).

The evening started with an acoustic set from Steven Shanks, one half of the acoustic duo Timid Blue. The set started on a racy note and ended on a pensive one, with plenty of amusing stage banter throughout. Shanks knows how to work a crowd in an intimate setting, and exhibited surprising ease at being onstage, given the sound problems experienced earlier. Shanks sang about relationships from all perspectives, including a short song about being the cause of a breakup (short because “no one likes to talk about being an  a**hole” he quipped). Definitely some talent there. Can we have this guy open for Flight of the Conchords, please?

Coal Fired Bicycle played a set of tunes heavy on the Americana influence and light on the rock influence with just the right amount of Christmas cheer thrown in. Again, memorable quotes permeated the band’s set, as did wannabe (0r maybe just unique. Yeah, we’ll go with that) rockstar moments (looking at you, Seth Ellsworth). Actually, the latter may have been due to the unlimited PBR granted the band. Actually (again), this unlimited PBR contributed to a quote too – “Whoever waltzes the best gets this can of PBR” proclaimed frontman Dan. Oh, right the music – it was pretty good too. Any band that brings a tuba onstage, even if it’s just for a quirky tune called “To Heck With Ol’ Santa Claus” earns points in my book. The tiniest drum kit I’ve ever seen an adult play adequately carried the set, proving the adage “it’s not the size, it’s how you use it” popularized in a certain Austin Powers movie. The songs were quirky, catchy, accessible, yet a variation of Americana I couldn’t quite place my finger on.

Fashion Week closed out the evening with satisfying alternative and pop-rock, carried by the Ben Gibbard like vocals of Jason Turner. In addition to Jason on vocals and Josh on drums being members of the underground scene I am familiar with, bass player Andrew Lee also joined the guys onstage. This guy also plays in the much more established and popular The Kraze in Columbus. With both projects planning releases in the first part of 2013, Lee will be a busy guy.  Since Fashion Week is so new, there admittedly isn’t a whole lot I can say about the individual songs. I should add though that Turner’s voice isn’t a complete dead ringer for Gibbard’s – it sounds like Gibbard quit Death Cab and joined a poppier band. Nice work all around, gentlemen.