Saturday night at Rubbles featured a dynamite night of music and fun as The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love (TOBASOL) took the stage, playing to a crowd that numbered about 30 strong.
The night started off on a shaky foot, however, as the band was subject to heckling from a few members of the crowd during their sound checks. Jokes of a more risque nature kept the crowd entertained as the band finished testing the microphones and the amplifiers.
When all was ready, TOBASOL exploded into a frenzy of their own unique brand of folk music, truly living up to their earlier claim of being in the “acid folk” genre. To even attempt to classify them in accordance with another band’s style would be almost a cardinal sin.
Their entirely original lineup of songs had a feel-good folksy style to them that was perfectly centered between the light and the heavy ends of the musical spectrum.
Possibly the most impressive part about TOBASOL was the wide variety of instruments that they used, and the excellent musical blend that was produced by all of these instruments. Instead of sounding like just a bunch of instruments trying to fit together somehow, the band managed to mesh all of their instruments into an almost universal sound.
This unique style of playing and excellent mixture of slow and fast songs brought much applause and cheering from the appreciative audience. However, the Rubbles heckling section also found it necessary to put in their two cents worth after each song. There was plenty of time for it, too, as the members of the band often had to change instrumentation for their various songs.
After about an hour of playing, TOBASOL took a short break, and silenced the hecklers for awhile. They returned after their intermission and continued to rock the house as only they knew how.
Many of TOBASOL’s songs had direct references to sights and experiences within the state of Michigan. One such song reminisced about days past when the old Tiger Stadium was still open, and regrets for the present that it is closed, and he can’t buy a Stroh’s at the park now that he’s old enough.
Overall, TOBASOL produced an excellent performance that will not be soon forgotten by those in attendance.
“It’s different than what I’m used to hearing,” said Ty Keyser, Harrison sophomore. “They play all different kinds of instruments, and they sound good for the number of people that they have. It’s music and not noise.”
“Overall, they made a good first impression,” said Tiana Zeleya, Waterford sophomore. “I have to give them props for putting up with the Rubbles hecklers, though.”
The night ended, although many in the audience didn’t seem to want it that way. TOBASOL outdid many of the local performances that have graced the Rubbles stage to date. Their incredibly original style and wide variety of instrumentation leaves what they’re going to do next a complete mystery. Their performance will most likely rest unforgotten for quite some time in the minds of those in attendance.

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