Although it was April 1, there was no fooling the crowd at Used Kids Records that positioned themselves throughout the aisles in anticipation of live music.

Room & Board were there to celebrate end of their tour and the vinyl release of their EP, There’s No One Else That You’ll Ever Be (And If You Can Hang With That You’ll Do Fine). The EP was co-released with Paper Mache Records (50 miles northeast of Columbus). We must say, the “punk pink” vinyl color variant looked absolutely superb.

Mobile Home got the blood flowing with their own unique brand of “Bible Belt Devil Music.” They warmed the interior of the record store up sufficiently well, I must admit. The Cordial Sins closed the three-band bill with a wonderful set, highlighted by Liz Fisher’s vocals and hoping that none of the five members fell off the small stage.

Jonathan Hape (Credit: Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

Sandwiched in between the two bands, Room & Board took to the stage tucked in the back corner of the store. Making self-reflection and the melancholy sound cheerful, it’s somewhat obvious that Jonathan Hape is still searching for… something.

The band is comprised of Hape (vocals/guitar), Nick Baker (bass) and Andy Foster (drums). Four of the seven songs in their energetic set were from the current EP.

Ed. – Full disclosure: our photographer is a sucker for vinyl, and purchased the Room & Board EP in the “punk pink” variant. Because, that’s how he rolls.

They opened their set with the snappy Against, a melodic number with numerous tempo changes that keep you on your aural toes. They moved quickly into Can It Be Heard?, a nifty tune that is a mix of The Replacements and a mellower version of Hüsker Dü.

The slower tempo of Ish Kabibble was next, that had an almost mid-80’s Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds feel to it, but not nearly as melancholy. Hape coaxes a surf-guitar sound from his Fender, although he updates it and makes the sound his own.

Room & Board at Used Kids Records (Credit: Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

The overtly-political Magazine of the Universe has a spacey guitar in the opening of the song, with Hape’s echo-laden and updated surf-guitar sound on full display. Baker and Foster kept the rhythm tight throughout the set, as well.

The sound of marching introduced Propaganda Of The Deed, with Foster tattooing his kit with a steady pace that almost made me want to start marching down the aisles of records at Used Kids. The song had a slower tempo with an almost eerie-sounding guitar riff, before they rocked a bit harder towards the end.

When I Don’t Fade had a melodic groove to it, making it easy to enjoy Hape’s vocals layered over the music.

They closed their all-too-short set with Pre, from their eponymous 2013 album. With a jaunty tempo and a simple, yet driving bass sound, it was the perfect song to end their time on stage in front of the appreciative crowd.

Room & Board – Can It Be Heard?