Photo of Fust by Charlie Boss
At a small and welcoming venue with standing room only for about 50, Durham, North Carolina’s Fust filled the room at The Sinkhole with their mixture of country, rock, and folk music. Led by the thoughtful and charismatic Aaron Dowdy, Fust was a lively show on an otherwise mundane Tuesday evening.
As the JITs were on stage, the loud and rocky opening band, Fust sat at the back of the venue, supporting their fellow musicians. In the same manner, once Fust was on stage, the JITs were close to the front of the crowd, listening and encouraging the headliners.
Fust were functioning as their own roadies, i.e. setting up their own instruments. On tour, Fust is a six-piece band featuring Dowdy as the lead singer, Avery Sullivan on drums, Frank Meadows on the keys, John Wallace with the guitar, Libby Rodenbough with a fiddle, and Oliver Child-Lanning as the bassist.
As the evening began, Fust leaned into their music. Although they clearly ooze talent, they are also incredibly rough around the edges. On a holistic level, this type of underdeveloped sound is beneficial to Fust, since it demonstrates their room for growth.
Opening with “Gateleg” the slow acoustic guitar built towards a crescendo about three fourths of the way through the tune. “Gateleg” was a great way to introduce audiences to Fust’s sound, with its straightforward strum pattern and instantly recognizable chorus. The song in and of itself feels familiar, as it embraces the listeners with a warm acoustic and electric guitar bridge around halfway through the song.
Moving onwards with “Doghole,” Dowdy’s lyrics are incredibly perceptive and universally appealing. With references to ideas or moments such as “Pass Out time,” this tune brought about a new gear for Fust, as they fully got into full swing with this song.
There were some incredible stand-out moments throughout the evening, with Rodenbough’s fiddle acting as a third guitar on “Bleached,” and Dowdy’s wondrous vocal performance on “Violent Jubilee.” Some other memorable runs were from “Genevieve,” when Dowdy sings about being “ready to receive my hurt,” to “Heart Song,” where Dowdy asks himself “How have I been,” and finally to “Open Water,” where Dowdy reminisces that he has no low, “in my rock bottom.” For these moments, there is an element of extreme acceptance and light in the musicianship and lyrics. On “Open Water,” there were some truly transcendent motifs, where the band’s future could almost be seen playing out on stage, with Dowdy leading the outfit forward as the real deal.
Another exciting occurrence, which is in part due to the small size of the venue, was when an audience member requested “Mountain Language.” This rockier, guitar-driven tune was awesome live. Once the crashing song ended, another audience member yelled “Add it to the setlist!” Clearly, it was a fan favorite, with its quick, ripping riff and keyboards. The most distinctive lyrics from this song are “Oh what country friends, is this?” and “So the pain can get up too?” These two moments are both incredibly topical and touching, especially when placed within the context of a tearing rock song.
The amount of firepower that Fust brings to a live show is remarkable, with two dueling guitarists and a fiddle adding an entirely new folksy dynamic. Closing the night with “Spangled,” Fust was fun, unique, and propulsive. Truly, they took flight with “Spangled.”
Another distinctive component of attending a show at such a small venue was the fact that the band hung out at the venue after. I had some great conversations with multiple band members. I even found out that I listened to Jeff Parker and Anna Butterss, just like drummer Avery Sullivan. If given the chance, definitely see Fust live, you will be able to tell your kids you saw Fust before they got big. | Joe Hindle
